


Hey! As told by Gems

by OneCoolCat



Series: Hey! As told by Gems [6]
Category: As Told By Ginger, Hey Arnold!, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pokemon (Indigo League)Anime, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Blanca as White Diamond - Freeform, Chi has a new bike!, Coach buses, Did I mention horrible writing?, Electricity, F/M, Fantasy, Fishing, Hotel, Nila as Blue Diamond - Freeform, Police, Recovered Memories, Running and swimming, Seren as Pink Diamond - Freeform, Shapeshifting, This is not reincarnation, Tortoise, Transit buses, Water, Waterfall, Xanthe as Yellow Diamond - Freeform, acting like a cat, horrible writing, school field trip, security guards - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 10:28:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21336748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneCoolCat/pseuds/OneCoolCat
Summary: Episode 6: The sisters take a school field trip to the aquarium and Nila feels sorry for an old tortoise and asks her sisters for help to set it free; Seren tries to shapeshift and it doesn't go too well.FIRST: I have to say that, I got this idea from reading Reverberations by ThatDastardlyCerberus. I posted a link. You should also check out Three Gems and Four babies.Also, check out Practically-pearlperfect (Madam_Violet) who also had some ideas after reading Reverberations. Little Stars and Reverberation shots.Long story short, this is just a fict on the four diamonds doing stuff. Following after the second to last war, which caused Steven to be separated from his gem, then after the last war that destroyed the Crystal Gems and somehow the diamonds reform into babies, Taffy and her husband, Sterling takes care of the diamonds. Fast forward 14 years later, we see how they're going about with their lives *shrugs* Nothing more. This is just something to read, if you have nothing else to read and you're waiting for your main ficts to come out. Welp, hope y'all like this even at least a teeny tiny bit *thumbs up*
Relationships: Taffy/Sterling (OC)
Series: Hey! As told by Gems [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1419247
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Paying homage to:  
Steven Universe season 1 episode 6: Cat fingers  
Hey Arnold season 1 episode 2b: Field trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually just squeeze in quotes and little scenes here and there from popular movies and shows and then just leave it at that, but since I put in a few scenes from Pokemon on here, I decided to add it to the tags. But yeah, the scenes are only in the last chapter so.. *shrugs*

"Almost done!" said Nila. She threw the bucket of water on the front of the car. Soap slid of the headlights and onto the parking lot. 

"Seren, get the hubcaps!" said Xanthe from the interior of the car. She was polishing the steering wheel.

"Hubbing it up! " Seren shouted from the back of the car. She rubbed the hubcaps faster.

"Hub it good!" Xanthe demanded. "This is a high-profile job!" 

"I know!" she panted. "I'm on it!" she continued to scrub the hubcaps.

"Great. That's what I like to hear." Xanthe peered her head out the driver's window. "How are the headlights coming along, Nila?"

She lifted her head up for Xanthe to see her over the hood of the car. "Just about spotless." she smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

Xanthe nodded. "Double great." she continued her polishing on the dashboard of the car. 

Seren ran to the last hubcab at the back of the car. "Man, Taffy and Sterling are SO going to love this new car look!" she cheesed.

Blanca was looking at the three sisters cleaning the car. "I hope so. I mean.. she _can_ just go to the local car wash.. And quite frankly, I think they can do a much better job."

"Hey!" Xanthe pouted. She continued to rub a specific spot on the dashboard where she'd seen a small scuff. "I take offense to that." she lifted her hand up and she still seen the mark. She used her nail to scratch it off, then she blew on the area. "I take a LOT of offense to that." She buffered the area once more before looking up from her job. "Why, we are JUST as talented as those guys." 

Nila was now spraying the windows with windex. "Mmm.. maybe? But _this_ is way more special because _we're_ the ones that's doing it." She wiped the window off in figure eights and watched as it dried. "Ah, no streaks." she whispered, smiling. "This must be the higher end one." she looked at the spray bottle in her hands. 

Blanca walked to the driver's side of the car. "Mm, I guess."

Nila walked to the other side with her, spraying the side window. "It's the thought that counts."

"Only when the thought is _genuine_ is when it counts." said Blanca.

Xanthe started wiping down the glove compartment. "Blanca, washing a parental guardian's car so you can get on their good side and ask for something_is_ a genuine idea."

Blanca clicked her teeth in disapprovment, waving an index finger. "You know, Xanthe. Doing something for someone_ just_ so they can do something for you is extremely wrong."

Xanthe rolled her eyes. "And so is breaking and entering a house.. but _I_ still helped you with that even though it was wrong.." she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Hm?" Xanthe raised her head up, trying to play coy. "Oh, nothing." she went back to her work, pretending to really scrub a specific area of the glove compartment.

Blanca stepped out the way for Nila to get to the driver's side. "Xanthe put the window up, so I can wash it."

Xanthe pressed a button on the car. _CLICK._ "Shoot. Just locked it." Xanthe pressed the other button and the window went down the rest of the way. Nila giggled a bit and Xanthe sighed, pulling up the button. The window went up and Nila sprayed the window. 

Seren finished the last hubcap and threw the rag in the empty bucket. She cleaned her hands off. "Finally done." she said to herself. Then she turned to Blanca, still crouched down in front of the wheel. "Check out these tires, Blanca. You can eat off of these." 

"Yeah.. no.." she shook her head.

Seren pouted.

"Alright, that's that." said Nila stepping away from the car.

Xanthe tried to open the car door, but forgot that she never unlocked it. She pressed the button and got out of the car. She closed the door and took a few steps back to look at the final product. The SUV was shining.

Xanthe crossed her arms and smiled. Her usual smug look. "Behold, ladies. Looks like we _exceptforBlancawhodidn'thelpalick_ have done a really great job."

Blanca scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah." Nila agreed. "It looks brand new." 

Blanca stepped up to the car, inspecting it for any more scuffs. "Yeah.. it's not bad."

"Not bad? Blanca, we're professionals!" said Xanthe.

Seren nodded, looking at her hubcap work and the doors of the car. "Yeah. We're totally professionals." she gave a sly smile.

"And now all we have to do is wait for Taffy or Sterling to come and see our masterpiece!" Xanthe rubbed her hands, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I think they'll really like it." said Nila, putting all of the cleaning equipment in one pile. 

"I'll help you bring some of it inside." said Seren. She stacked all of the buckets on top of each other and waddled towards the rotating doors of the hotel, peering out from the sides so she could see where she was going. Nila picked up all of the cleaning agents and followed behind her.

Both Blanca and Xanthe looked at the remaining stuff on the ground. A handful of sponges, a few old rags, a squeegee and a handheld vacuum cleaner. Blanca looked at Xanthe and Xanthe looked at her, then Blanca looked away. "I wasn't the one who brought them out. You three were washing the car." Xanthe dropped her shoulders and sighed. 

"I got the rest of it." she said. She picked up the remaining items and carried them in the hotel. 

Blanca was waiting outside for them, looking around the area at nothing in particular. She stood there, taking in the scenery that she'd seen for nearly two weeks now. Then she looked down a street and saw a boy who looked oddly familiar. He was walking out of a bakery that Blanca had been meaning to check out ever since they got to the hotel she'd known that there was a bakery near there.

He was talking with a big, barley guy wearing an apron.

Then it hit her. _That's the guy that was ordering a hotdog down at the harbor.._ She watched him as he continued chatting it up with the man and she continued to watch him as he finished talking with the guy. The guy going back up to the store and the boy heading back down the street.

"Ooooooooooooo, checking out that cute boy from across the street, Blanca?" Seren had that kid-like, smug look on her face.

Blanca turned around, her face in a grimace. "What? Of course not."

"Mhmm." Seren kept the smug look going for a few more moments.

Xanthe ran out of the revolving doors. "Noooo, Blancaaa. You're getting all of your hand prints and elbow prints and, and ARM prints ALL over the car!!" she shrieked.

_Wait..When did I start leaning on the car?_ Blanca leaned off the car just as Xanthe ran over to inspect the damage. "Seeeeee!" she pointed at the faint smudges near the top of the vehicle. "Now I have to hurry and get a rag and some water before Taffy and Sterling com-"

Blanca waved her hand over the smudges and the fingerprints vanished.

Xanthe shook her head in disbelief. "Wait.. What? But how did you?" she turned to Blanca who was sporting her famous neutral Blanca look. "What was that?! Did you.. did you erase them? Or like, suck them up in your hand? Did you rip them up from the glass?! How did you do that?! What kind of power is that?! What do you even call that?! How did you even know you could do that?!" Xanthe was appalled

"MM mm." Blanca shrugged and walked away and Xanthe continued to stare at her. "Just what kind of gem _are_ you?" she whispered.

"I think I see Sterling coming!" Seren shouted.

The guy was walking through the doors and heading outside.

Xanthe gasped. "Everyone! At your position!"

The three of them stepped away from the car and in a line. Blanca followed slowly behind.

He walked out. "Hiya, girls." he waved at them. They greeted him back and he turned his attention to the sparkling car beside them. "Ah, now what is this here? A new car?" he adjusted his glasses, a cheesey grin on his face.

Xanthe tried to suppress the groan towards his kiddy talk towards them. She would only have to play along for just a hit longer. She put on a smile, though it came out a bit Cheshire like. "Nooo." she shook her head. "Guess again." 

"Hmm.." he tilted his head. "Some kind of a new form of spaceship?" 

_Suppress that groan, Xanthe._ "Nope!" her forced smile grew wider. _and more Chestire-cat like.. Man she couldn't quite get that childlike smile like Seren could so easily do.._"It's not a new spaceship either." 

Taffy walked through the revolving doors with a brown box in her hands.

"Ah yes. Well I can't put my finger on it." said Sterling. "It's not a new car.. but it's not a spaceship either. Hmmm."

"Sterling, please stop it with that kind of talk. They aren't little kids." Taffy opened the front door and pressed the button on the door. The trunk popped open. 

"Why, honey. I have no idea what you're talking about. "

Xanthe dropped her expression to an annoyed one, but perked back up just as Sterling turned back around. Her hands clasped in front of her just below her chin. "That's okay, Taffy. I was just about to tell him that-"

"Okay Xanthe, okay." she cut her off, chuckling. "You can drop the act." she closed the trunk. "So, what's the occasion, Xanthe? To what do I owe this awfully kind gesture for?" she answered her own question looking tight at her. 

Xanthe dropped her arms. "Hm? Whaaaat? I can't just, _do_ something nice once in a while?"

"Yes, yes you can." she turned to her. "But I also know that you are prone to your little ulterior motives, Xanthe."

Xanthe pouted, looking away.

Taffy laughed at that. "Okay, Xanthe. Just tell me.

Xanthe dropped the act. She sighed. "Taffy,canIgotoBartColónez'slastbaseballgame?!!" she said quickly. "Pleaaaaaaase."

"You mean the one where it costs $300 for a standing ticket?"

"...Yeeees?" he raised her shoulders in a slow shrug "I mean, it's not like _we_ would be spending that much. Sterling knows people. Can't you two like, ask them for some tickets?"

"Hmmm.."

"Come on, Taffy. You know I'm too proud to beg." she clasped her hands in front of her again.

Blanca chuckled. "Then what is she doing now?" she whispered to Nila. Nila stifled a laugh.

Xanthe cut her eye at the two. "Hey, I heard that."

Taffy looked at Sterling, who still had that cheesy expression on his face. "Perhaps we can pull a few strings and get a ticket."

"Really?!"

Sterling laughed that stereotypical HAHAHA dad laugh he always does. "Now Taffy. You're the one who's playing around now."

Xanthe looked at him.

"We have the tickets, Xanthe. A buddy of mine managed to get us a few tickets in a pretty "decent" row." he winked.

"We have the tickets.." she whispered in shock. "So I can go!!" she exclaimed, she there her hands in the air.

"Of course you ca-" 

"Provided you stay on your best behavior, yes, you can." said Taffy sternly.

"Pfft.. I'm not Seren."

"Hey!"

"I'm aaaalways on my best behavior." she made an okay sign with her hand.

"Welp." Taffy breathed out. "Now that that's settled, let us all depart. I don't want you four to be late for your first school field trip." 

Everyone got in the SUV. Seren and Nila in the back seat, Blanca by the window seat in the middle, with Xanthe sitting beside her and Taffy in the passenger's seat. "Wow." she looked at the interior of the car. "Y'all really did do a great job on the car."

Xanthe nodded. "Yes, Seren, Nila and I tried our best to make this car as sparkling and as clean as ever."

"I'm impressed."

Xanthe beamed, raising her head up. Blanca looked at her from the side.

Sterling turned the key in the ignition and turned out the parking lot into the street. "So girls, excited for your first _school_ field trip ever?" he glanced at them in the rear view mirror, before turning his attention back on the street.

"Yes!!" Seren shouted before anyone got to say anything. "I can't wait to see all of the cool looking fish and stuff all swimming around and stuff."

"Eh, I'm just going for the eels." said Xanthe.

"I might just stay at the clam exhibit." said Blanca. "I heard they can make pearls.. I wonder if it's the same pearls that gems are made from?"

Seren laughed. "Blanca, you always had such a huge fascination with pearls." 

_With Maude being an exception. _ Xanthe thought.

"I wonder why that is.." said Seren. "Maybe she secretly wants to make them for herself." Seren teased.

Sterling and Taffy exchanged glances to that remark.

"Which ones are we talking about here? The clam pearls or the gem pearls?" Xanthe joked along with her.

The two started laughing and Blanca narrowed her eyes at them. Thankfully she'd gotten so skillful in hiding her pink blush..

"Seren, Xanthe. No teasing your sister." said Taffy.

Seren and Can the tried to hold in their laughter and Xanthe snorted. 

"She might just even marry one, one day." Xanthe whispered to Seren. The two started laughing again.

"Xanthe, what did I say? You still want to go to that baseball game, right?"

And with that, Xanthe was quiet.

The ride was silent for just a mere few moments.

Sterling turned down another street. He cleared his throat to air out the silence. "So Nila. We haven't heard from you back there. How excited are you for this first school field trip?"

"Honey, you don't have to say 'first school field trip', every time." 

"Whaaat? I like to specify."

Nila looked up from the window. "Umm.. I'm." she stopped. Then she leaned back on the window, her hand on her face as she looked out the window again. "Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it at all." she whispered. "We're going to this place to gawk at those poor sea animals trapped in thanks and cages.. And they get paid for doing that." 

"Oh, honey.. I can see exactly where you're coming from." said Taffy. "But, there are also a few exceptions. There are some animals there who are endangered. Keeping them in captivity is a way to keep them safe and care for them. Otherwise, with the harsh environments and the hunters, they all might not stand a chance."

"Yes.. I know.. Still, I would hope they find a better solution then keeping them locked up and just their basic recourses.. I couldn't ever do that to anyone."

Sterling and Taffy exchanged glances again.

"Don't worry, Nila. Once we get there, you'll see how happy and how safe they all are in there." Seren tried to comfort her.

The group rode together in silence until something brushed across Nila's ankle. "Eeep! What was that?!" she threw her leg up. 

"Nila, what's wrong?" Taffy turned around in her seat.

Nila and Seren looked down to see a striped fluffy car coming out from underneath of the seat. "There's a cat in here!" said Nila. 

"A cat?" Sterling asked.

"What is a cat doing in here?" Taffy asked.

Nila was holding both of legs up on the seat and the cat walked towards Seren's shoe and started batting at the shoelaces. Seren chuckled. "Maybe it got in when we were cleaning out the back. We had the doors open for awhile."

Xanthe looked back. "So what are we going to do with it?" 

"Does it have a collar?" Taffy asked.

"Yeah." said Seren "And it looks like a pretty fancy one." she bent her hand down towards the cat.

"Careful Seren." Nila whispered.

Seren let the car smell her hand and the cat rubbed up against her fingers. She slid her hand towards the cat more and flipped the tag of the collar over. "The address is on the back of the tag." she said.

"Oh, that's good news. We'll drop y'all off, then take the cat back home." said Taffy.

The cat started rubbing up against Seren's leg. "Awwweee.." she went to go pick up the cat.

"Careful Seren." Nila said again. "It might scratch or bite you.. And we don't know if the owner has given it it's shots yet." Nila eyed the cat.

"Awww, now you wouldn't do that, would you." Seren cooed at the cat as she lifted it up slowly. The cat mewed and Seren held it in her arms and started nuzzling it. "I wish we had a cat." she said in its fur. "Or some kind of pet."

"You're holding a dirty cat to your face, Seren." said Nila.

She lifted her head up and started petting the top of the cat's head. Her other arm underneath of the cat. It's paws laying comfortably on her arm. "Oh, come on, Nila. A little bit a dirt never hurt no one." she traced her hand along the cat's face face down to it's chin and started scratching it. "Besides, this cat doesn't even look dirty, Nila." she looked down at the cat. "Do yoouu? Do yoouu?" she cooed. The cat purred. Seren looked back up at her sister. "And I'm surprised you're acting like this. You seemed to really like that other cat in that store we went to a month and a half ago."

"Well.. that cat was inside. I know the owners wouldn't have the cat just walking about if she wasn't clean or if she didn't have her shots yet." 

"Or is it because the cat is owned by that cute boy?"

Nila blushed. "No! Y, YOU were there, Seren. I saw that cat way before I saw him. So that doesn't count."

"But you admit that he's cute." Seren grinned.

"No, I never. What? I don't even.." Nila sputtered.

Seren laughed.

"Seren, why must you always ship people?" said Xanthe. "You're worse than a fanfict."

Blanca turned her attention from the scenery out the window to the conversation. "And how do you know what fanficts are?" she asked Xanthe.

Now it was Xanthe's turn to sputter. "No, I never. What?! I don't even.."

Blanca quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Pffftt.." Xanthe slid down in her seat and pulled the hood over her head to hide her face. "And for your information, I read the definition of it online.. I've never _read_ one.." then a beat later. "How do YOU even know what a fanfict is.."

"Xanthe, you can't embarrass me. I, for one, am okay with people knowing that I read fanficts."

"Teehee. I can totally see Xanthe reading a lot of angsty ficts."

"Seren, I have no idea what you're talking about. As I said before, I don't even READ them."

Seren picked up the cat and held it behind Xanthe's head. "Or maybe you're into those monsterswap AU's where your favorite characters are now vampires or werewolves or cute little kitties like this one." she bobbed the cat side to side in her hands, then gently tapped the side of Xanthe's head with the cat. "Reow." she imitated.

Xanthe turned around to see the cat directly in her face. "Mew." the cat licked Xanthe's nose. She looked unamused. "Seren. I do not. read. fanficts.. Also." she wrinkled up her nose. "that cat just licked me in the face.." she turned back around.

"Hahaha! It likes you, Xanthe!" she put the cat back down in her lap. "And who said cats were so mean and finicky." she pet along the cat's back and the cat laid it's head on her skirt, purring. "Sooooo cuuuute." she squealed. "Taffy, Sterling, why can't we get a pet?" 

Sterling opened his mouth to say something but Taffy cut in first. "Because I'm not going to be the only one who takes care of it."

"But I would take care of it."

"Just feeding and petting it doesn't count." 

"But-"

"There's bathing the pet, brushing the pet, _cleaning up after the pet._" she looked at Seren through the rearview mirror. "Can't forget about that."

Seren frowned. "But I would do that too." she slowed her pace to a stop. Her hand right by the cat's thigh. The cat looked up at her.

"Sure, you say that now, Seren. Then within a week, I'll end up being the only one taking care of it."

"Mm.." she pouted. "I really want a pet.." she mumbled.

Taffy looked at her sad expression then thought about it. "Well.. now that you're older.. And maybe if you show me how responsible you are, perhaps I'll _think_ about getting something. But something small and simple. Like a.. pretty bird or something."

"Really?!" she shouted and the cat jumped a bit. "Oops. Sorry." she started to pet the cat to calm it back down.

"A bird? But they don't do a lot. They're pretty boring." said Xanthe.

"Yes. But they make good starter animals." 

"Well whatever animal we get, I'll make sure that they're well cared for." she started scratching the back of the cat's ear. The cat purring away in content.

..............

They arrived in the school's parking lot and parked. Ten coach buses was parked behind each other and hundreds of gems and hybrids were scattered all in front of the school yard. "We're here." said Sterling. He pressed a button on the door and the door slid back. "Hope everyone has a faaantASTIC day today!" he exclaimed. "Yes and please enjoy yall selves." said Taffy The sisters said their "see you laters" to Taffy and Sterling and Xanthe and Blanca got out the car.

"See you, Kitty." Seren kissed the cat on top of its head and she placed it in the middle seat and got out. "See ya Taffy! See ya Sterling!"

"See you, Seren." they said back to her.

Nila climbed out the car. "Seren, you just kissed that cat on it's head.." 

"See you too, Nila." said Sterling.

She had her hand on the door, getting ready to close it. "Huh?" she looked up at them "Oh, see you two later." she closed the door.

...

"I gotta hurry up and find my bus seat buddy." said Seren. She ran out the parking lot and towards the crowd, looking for her friend.

Xanthe scoffed. "Guess we're not good enough for her." 

"Come on, Xanthe." Nila grabbed her arm. "You can be my frield trip partner." She dragged her sister towards the crowd.

Blanca tucked her hands in her jacket pockets and walked behind them.

One of the administrators were ushering three groups to the first three buses. Seren was looking hard within the crowd. "Where is she.."

"Hey, Seren."

"Yipe!" Seren turned around.

"Whoops! Sorry, Seren." 

"Oh you didn't.. scare me..?" said Seren. She looked at Chi's arm, now held in a light blue sling to match her white blouse and light blue skirt. "How's your arm coming along? Also..you're not in uniform."

"It's doing great! The doctor is suppose to be taking it off tomorrow. Which is great news because now I can actually ski with everyone this week!" 

"Nice!" Seren cheered. 

"And I'm not in uniform because I'm apart of the administration for today.

"Why would you choose to do that than go on this trip?"

"This trip is only for ninth graders." She gestured at the students going into the buses. "So, I decided to ask around and see if I could quote unquote "volunteer".she winked at Seren. "In other words, I'll be helping out with the students as _well_ as seeing a bit of the aquarium."

"Aha." said Seren. "I see what ya did there." then a realization came over her and her smile fell. "But that means you won't be with me throughout the whole trip.. Are you going to be my bus seat buddy at least?!" she whined.

Chi shook her head. "Sorry, Seren. But I have to ride with the other administrators."

" Aww man.. But who's going to be my bus seat buddy nooooww?!" 

"Don't you have three other sisters? Why not just sit with one of them."

"Oh. Yeah I guess I could do that." 

"Chisoru!" someone was calling her from the front of the school. She had a clipboard in her hand.

"Oh, sorry Seren. Have to go." she jogged away. "またね! (Mata ne! See ya later!) 

"Mata ne!" she waved. "Now where are me sisters.." she started looking for them amongst the crowds and crowds of students. 

After five minutes of rummaging through the crowd of students, she decided to wait by one of the buses, hoping that she would catch one of her sisters before they got on the bus. 

She squeezed herself out of the crowds and walked to the sixth bus. She watched as the fifth, sixth and seventh buses filled up and she watched as the crowd started clearing out as they went to the last few buses. _Maybe they're already on the bus.._

"Ma'am, you can't wait here by the bus." said a deep, gravelly voice. 

Seren turned to her left to see a tall woman with dark red hair. A gem in her chest. "Sorry. I was just trying to find one of my sisters."

"There aren't many more people out here. They're most likely already on the bus." 

Seren looked at the near empty area.

"You have to choose a bus and get one." she ordered. "We'll do roll call and check to see if everyone who's suppose to be here is here. We won't leave your sisters." she looked at the bus further down from them. "Just get on the ninth one."

"But-" she looked at the lady's stern face and stopped. She turned around and started walking down to the bus, dragging her feet.

She waited in line behind the group of students until it was her time to step on the bus. She looked at the students already sitting down _and already with their bus seat partners._ She also realized that she didn't know _any_ of the people on the bus.

"What's the hold up?" said Harold from a few people behind her. He had one foot on the bus step.

"Yeah, come on. Just sit down anywhere." said another boy in front of her.

"Nnng.." she groaned, walking further to the back of the steps. 

"... y don't you just let me sit here, already?" she heard one guy say in front of her. He was going back and forth with someone who didn't want to share their seat. The person had their legs hanging over the seat, refusing to let them sit.

Seren continued her walk to the back of the bus.

".. cause, I don't want you sitting next to me. I don't want anyone sitting next to me." Seren heard her say back to him.

"Blanca!" she ran to her seat.

"Oh.. there you are, Seren." she said plainly.

"Scooch over, move your legs." Seren was pushing Blanca's legs off the seat. 

Blanca complied and Seren flopped down on the seat.

"SHE gets to sit next to you."

"She's." she looked at Seren bouncing in her seat. She sighed. "She's.. an exception.."

"Woohoo! I managed to get my bus seat buddy!" she wrapped her arm around Blanca's shoulder and pulled her in. "Nnnng, Seren." she groaned. Seren kept the shoulder hug going for a few more seconds. 

The boy gave up and tried to find another seat.

Seren finally let go of her sister. "Aw man, Blance. You and I are going to have SO much fun!! It'll be like those times when we would go on those family road trips!!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, goody.." 

"I know right?! We can play license plates and 20 questions and The Alphabet Game and Green Glass Door and Going on a picnic" Then she gasped. "Ooooo!! And I spy!! Oh! And simon says! and-!"

_What have I gotten myself into..Looks like I won't be relaxing to OR from the Aquarium.. because yay! 'bus seat buddiiiieeees~~!!' _ Blanca sighed as Seren rambled on. "And then we can count some COWS! If there are any cows and then we can-" Blanca looked up and down the rows of seats in front of her. _Where was that Chi chick when you needed her.._ She watched as one of the coach buses drove alongside the bus. _ Xanthe and Nila are probably having a much quieter time.. Whichever bus they're on.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sterling is FINALLY in the picture. Goodness, the dude has been MIA since the first episode xP . Glad I was able to write him in there.


	2. Chapter Two

................................

Screaming, yelling and laughing echoed through the bus as paper balls and erasers were thrown about.

Xanthe was tensed up in the corner at the very back of the bus. Her arms crossed and her jaws clenched as she narrowed her eyes at every. Single. Person. On the bus. It was like a zoo. And these gems and hybrids were suppose to be _how_ old?

Nila didn't look bothered by it. At one point of the ride she'd even redirected water back to one girl who was trying to throw some water from her water bottle at her. But she still wasn't phased by it.. Or by the nauseatingly loud and annoying noises coming from these so-called "teens".

Nila turned to her and started laughing. 

Xanthe kept her slouched posture, only looking to the side with her eyes and not so much as the slightest movement with her head. "What's so funny?"

"You." she snickered. "You look so grumpy and tense."

"Yeah, well. Listening to a bus load full of screaming banshees will do that to you."

"Xanthe!" Nila tried to sound mad, but the snorted giggles said otherwise. "That's so mean."

"What? It's true. And we have to stay on this bus for _how_ much longer?"

Nila pulled back her sleeve, revealing a colorful, bead bracelet and a watch. She read the time, then pulled her sleeve back down. "About another two hours."

"Oh, greaaat~." Xanthe closed her eyes and slid further back in the seat.

"Maybe we could play a game to pass the time."

Xanthe looked up from her slouch, but didn't say anything.

"It would be like old times when we would go on those family road trips~." she nugded Xanthe's head.

"Mmmaybe just _one_ game would do.." Xanthe picked herself up, sliding back up in the chair. 

"Yay!" 

"But I'M picking the game." she pointed to herself with her thumb.

"Fine..."

Xanthe thought of all the games they would play in the car. "We'll play Green Glass Door."

Nila groaned.

"What?"

"I KNEW you were going to pick that one. You ALWAYS pick that one."

"Are you mad because you always lose?"

"I do not get _'mad'_. And YOU'RE always cheating. 

"Just because my riddles are hard to answer, doesn't mean that I cheat.

"But you pick stuff that people don't won't even know!"

"Nila, I think you're just upset that _you_ can't ever get it." she teased, licking her tongue out at her. A balled up piece of paper hit on the side of the head. "Okay, who threw-?!" she clicked her teeth. "Whatever." she threw the paper ball towards the front.

"Xanthe, what if that hits someone?"

"Then maybe the front of the bus will think twice about throwing stuff at the back of the bus again." 

....

The ball smacked Miranda in the back of her neck. She growled, snapping her head around and glaring at the people behind her. 

Nobody was paying attention to her. Too occupied as they continued to throw stuff at each other and stand and jump on the bus and conversate many rows away from each other.

Miranda sat back down slowly, turning back around in her seat. She burnt the balled up piece of paper into ash and let the material seep through her fingers. "Stupid ninth graders.. not knowing how to act." she mumbled.

Courtney was busy combing her hair. "Yeah, well. That's what we get for getting to the administrator's bus so late." she brushed a few strands of hair from her face and brushed it in. "They end up running out of room for you and what happens? You have to be on a bus full of uncivilized freshmen." 

"But we were late because of YOU."

"Miranda. A fashion emergency is a SERIOUS deal." she waved her finger. "Surely any other person would understand that." she brushed the back of her hair a few more times before putting it back in her purse.

"Sure, Courtney. Whatever you say.."

"Hey Miranda!" a boy turned around in his seat. "Still got that book with you? I never got to hear that last page."

Courtney sucked in some air as she looked at Miranda.

Miranda narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms. "I..Do not.. have it._anymore."_ she said coarsely.

"Oh, that's too bad... Welp. Okay then!" he turned back around, sitting back in his chair.

Courtney looked at Miranda. _Hmm.. She's being awfully calm right now.._

Then Miranda tighten up her face even more, but still didn't say anything.

Courtney sat back.

And then.."I STILL can't believe someone took the book!!"

_Aaand there she goes.._ "Miranda, maybe you just set it down somewhere."

"For the one hundredth time, Courtney. I did not do that! I remember specifically putting the book IN the bag right before we went to homeroom. It was there when I took out my book for third period class, but when I went looking for it in sixth period, it wasn't there!! There_fore,_ it must've been someone in fourth OR fifth period.." she drummed her fingers on her arms.

"But you said that it didn't match up. That there's not a lot of freshmen in those two classes and that none of them have pink hair."

"Yes.. Which is why I suspect that they left there own class to get to mine."

"But, Miranda. You would've saw them go into your bag."

"EXACTLY! And after I got off the phone with you, I did a bit of retracing my steps." she tapped her temple.

"Okayy..?"

"I had gym during fourth period. I left my bag unattended twice. Once at the gym and the second time, in the locker room and I only left out fifth period class ONCE and that was to use the bathroom."

"Mhm?"

"The teacher was having a lecture in fifth period. She never looks away from the class during her lectures and she would've saw someone going into my bag. And throughout the game, nobody went towards any of the bags at the back of the gym. Which only means."

"That someone took it from you when your bag was in the shower room."

"That someone_knew_ that I had gym that period and that we would take a shower afterwards." she looked at the girl. "Courtney, someone _waited_ for me to leave my bag. They waited. They knew I wouldn't take my bag with me..But _who_ did it.. I. Need. To know."

"Miranda, you're going to get yourself grey hairs, stressing out like that."

"I'm serious, Courtney."

"And I'm serious too! Grey strands is a MAJOR fashion no no." she flipped her hair and Miranda just sighed.

"Whatever Courtney." then she looked at a girl's uniform from across the bus from her. _The skirt.._ A side smile came across her face. "And don't worry, Courtney. Once I get that last, missing piece of the puzzle, I won't have to stress myself out any longer..I will finally know who did it.."

........

Approximately an hour and fifty minutes later, a happy Seren and a very bored Blanca were still playing I-Spy. Seren had her head on a swivel as she looked at what to describe next. Blanca had her chin in her palm, staring at nothing in particular out the window.

"I spy something huge."

"The bus.." 

"Okay.. Well you're DEFINITELY not going to get this one! What-"

"The interstate sign."

"Oh, come on. What are you, a Sapphire? 

She leaned off her palm. "Seren. We've been playing this little game of yours for the past forty minutes. There isn't much to see on the highway and you've repeated yourself multiple times already."

"Well.. I _did_ try to change up the descriptions a bit." she tried to defend herself.

"Saying cerulean instead of blue and huge instead of big isn't that much of a change up."

Seren opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say and closed her mouth.

Harold ran up to them with a carton of milk. "Look! I'm a whale!" he poured milk in his mouth and spit it up like a fountain. Seren held her arm out in front of her stomach to summon her shield. _She couldn't.._But Blanca was quick enough to flick her wrist, sending the milk right back into his face. "Ow! My eyes!!" he stumbled and fell back into someone. "Hey!" they pushed him back and he fell face first onto the floor. Everyone who saw started laughing.

"I really can't wait to just _get_ there already.." said Blanca.

"Me either!" Seren shouted. "And I hope we get there soon. Looks like everyone else is getting restless." 

Gems and hybrids were running up and down the aisle of the bus and hanging on the top poles of the bus, screaming and shouting up and down the rows.

"I'm curious how it's going to look. This'll be our FIRST time going to an aquarium in Beach City!" Seren told Blanca. 

"Really?! You've never been to the Beach City Aquarium?!" asked Gerald, jumping into their conversation.

"Nope. We just moved here." said Seren.

"Because of that lame rule that the mayor passed about how every gem had to start school.." said Blanca.

"Hey, it's not that bad. School can be really cool, you know." he said. "Anyway, this aquarium is amazing! Last time we went there we were in first grade. They had these tide pool thing full of bat rays you can touch with your fingers. It was really slimy and gross... I went back 9 times." 

"They have a penguin named Stuart who eats his own ba-"

"Ew, Sid. Don't even finish that sentence." a girl across from them put her hand over her ears. 

"And they have Shiny the Sea Snail who can draw a replica of Time Square with his mucus trail." said another boy.

"And they have Lockjaw." said Gerald.

"Yeah!! Lockjaw!!" the back of the bus shouted in unison. 

"Lockjaw? Who's Lockjaw?" Seren asked.

"He's only the SCARIEST most FEROCIOUS, sea-"

Gerald was cut off by the horn of the bus and the bus driver making his announcement. "Okay, everyone. Welcome to the Beach City Aquarium. Please take all of your belongings with you." he grumbled out.

"Woohoo!!!!" "Alriiiight!!" everyone cheered.

Right as the bus made it's stop by the curb, everyone started rushing up to the front. The bus driver pulled the handle for the door to open and everyone started running out, gathering at the front of the Aquarium.

"Eeeee!!!" Seren squealed. "Come on, Blanca." she pulled on her arm. "Let's go!"

"No need to yank my arm out of its socket, Seren. I'm coming." she got up with her. Seren snorted. "I didn't even pull your arm that hard." 

They exited the bus and made their way to the crowd of people. A few administrators, including Chi was busy ushering out passes and maps at the entrance of the Aquarium. 

More buses started pulling up and parking all around the lot and more and more gems and hybrids started crowding around the doors of the building. Seren and Blanca followed with them.

The Aquarium loomed overhead. "Wow.." said Seren.

They entered the building to a very packed lobby and Seren just so happened to see Xanthe and Nila just a few rows ahead of them. "Ooo! Blanca! I see Xanthe and Nila!" Seren grabbed ahold of Blanca's arm again as they tried to maneuver through the crowd. "Alright, relax, Seren."

.......

"Xanthe, I'm not going to guess it." Nila had her hand on her forehead. "You might as well tell me."

"Don't worry. You have it this time." said Xanthe. "Just think about it. I am a guard at the Green Glass door. I'll let you in if you bring one thing that's permitted in the building. You can bring a surujin, but you can't bring a mokgum. You can bring a nunchaku , but you can't bring a bagh nakh. You can bring a sai, but you can't bring a kwan dao You can bring a tonfa, but.. you can't bring a shillelagh. What can _you_ bring?

"I reaaally have no clue Xanthe." she tried not to sound irritated. "I can't even spell half of those words, let alone _know_ what they are."

"Japanese martial art weapons, Nilaaa." said Xanthe. "Surujin." she listed on her fingers. "nanchaku, sai, tonfa. They're all Japanese based martial arts weapons!"

"How?! ..How was I supposed to guess that?!"

"I thought it would be obvious!"

"_You_ know about that martial arts stuff. I don't.. And who even BRINGS weapons to a glass door, _anyway?_ Shouldn't you be nervous that about? And why does the door have to be green?" 

"Ohhh, don't get ~all upset that you couldn't get it." 

"I'm not getting upset! YOU'RE just not playing fair!"

"Hey guys!" Seren jumped in between them, putting each arm around their shoulder.

"Oh.. There you are, Seren." said Xanthe.

"I can't believe we're finally here! Look at the place!"

They looked around. They were staring at the lobby and a few photos of fish on the wall.

"It's only a lobby. Nothing too extravagant." said Xanthe.

"Welcome to the Aquarium." said a bored, monotone voice through a microphone. "We have a few simple rules to follow." he walked to the front of the group. "No feeding the fish, no tapping the glass, no diving into the shark tank, no photography, no _flash_ photography, no video cameras, no sushi chefs, no drinking beverages, no drink_ing,_ no smoking, no water manipulation."

"Heard that, Nila?" Xanthe nudge her in the side. 

Nila rolled her eyes. "Like I would _actually_ do that to the poor creatures."

"..Well you do that to me.." she mumbled.

"..ing, no grabbing the fish, no shocking the fish." 

Nila looked at Xanthe and the latter rolled her eyes. "Now you know I wouldn't do that." Then she mocked. "to those poooor innocent creaaatures." she said dramatically.

Nila scoffed.

"no swimming in the tide pools, no running, no flying, floating, levitating, hovering, etc, no throwing people in the tanks, no-" Seren saw Gerald and a few other students walk by and she waved over at him to get his attention. "Gerald!"

"Yeah, what's up, man?" he walked over to her.

"You didn't get to tell me who Lockjaw was." 

"Oh yeah, I didn't." Then he said in a low, scary voice. "He's only the most SCARIEST most FEROCIOUS sea monster in the ocean deeeeep!!"

One boy jumped in between her and Jerald. "If there was a battle between him and a giant squid, Lockjaw would win."

"I heard he could ram a boat with his head and sink it!" Cut in another boy.

"I heard he could swallow a kid whole." said Gerald. "and spit out the bones." he shuddered.

"..Daisy dukes, no sweats, no shirts, no shoes, no service, no wearing leggings as pants, no-"

"Lockjaw, huh?" Said Seren. "Cool."

"...no guns, no knives, no explosives and MOST of all. NO skateboards!" he glared at one hybrid and a security guard took the boy's skateboard away. He opened a door right by them and threw it in with all of the other skateboards. "Aww.." they boy hung is head.

"I guess Lockjaw sounds pretty cool." said Xanthe. "I mean, he's no eel or electric ray or any of those electric fish, but he doesn't sound half bad."

"Half bad? He's the main attraction OF this place!" said Gerald.

The students started spreading out to different areas of the building. "Looks like the announcement's over. Time to check out the cool stuff." said Jerald. 

"Okay." said Seren. She waved at him and he waved back before he and his friends went to the left wing of the building.

"So, ladieeeees." said Seren. "What's the first on our list?" 

"Eels!" "Clams." "MM mm.." Xanthe, Blanca and Nila said over each other.

"Um.." Seren looked at them.

"Maybe we can just split up." said Blanca.

"But I want us to stay together. Or.. or at least see _one_ thing together?" said Seren.

"Like what?" Xanthe asked.

"Like uh..." she thought about it. "Uh. . Oh wait! We have _THIS."_ She held out the map. She opened it. "There's the jellyfish exhibit." she looked up at her sisters.

"Yeah, I could go for that." said Xanthe. "They can shock you if you get to clooose." she said in a spooky voice.

"Neh. ...." said Blanca.

Nila didn't say anything.

Seren looked at the map again, then looked back up. "Dolphins?" she suggested.

"Very intelligent creatures." said Blanca.

"That likes to spray you." Xanthe shook her head. "No thanks."

"Nila or I could just wisk the water away from you."

"So they could just do it again? No way." said Xanthe. "They know what they're doing! Spraying people over and over again. That's why they cackle! They're not laughing with us. They know what they're doing!" 

"Oh, come on guys. We have to find _something_ that we can all agree to go see.." said Seren. She looked back down at the map.

"Excuse me. Is there something I could help you with?" said a female voice.

They turned around and Seren looked up. A lady wearing a blue skirt and a white Oxford shirt was walking up to them.

"We were just trying to figure out what to go see, but.. we couldn't really agree on what.." said Seren.

"Mm.. why not the sea anemone?" she suggested. "It's filled with various types of anemone and fish and crustaceans."

"Any eels?" asked Xanthe.

"No. But there are these cool looking mithras and arrow and spider crabs." said the lady.

"Well they don't shock.. but at least they do pinch." said Xanthe.

"So, what do you think?" Seren asked Xanthe.

"I'm up for it."

"Blanca? Nila?" she looked at them.

"I'm okay with that." 

"Okay.." 

"Great!" Seren folded up her map. "Onwards!" she marched off with her sisters walking in tow.

They walked pass the lobby and down a cool hallway. Two glass walls were on both sides of them. One showed a school of Beluga Sturgeons zipping around and the other side showed a pod of lobsters digging in the sand as a school of fish swam over them. A few starfish stuck to the glass.

"Ooooo!! Can we stop here reaaally reaaally quick?" Seren ran up and pressed her face to the glass, looking at the Beluga Sturgeons. "Oooooooo..." she breathed into the glass. "They must be at least fifteen feet long!"

"Hey! Hey you!" the voice sounded old.. and angry.

"Huh?" Seren looked up from the glass.

"Yeah, YOU. Didn't you hear the rules?! NO face planting on the glass and NO fogging UP the glass." he walked over, waving the glass cleaner in his hands.

"Oh! Sorry.." she dropped her hands from the glass.

The man shooed her from the glass and sprayed it, mumbling under his breath about gems these days and something about Millennials and Generation Z's.. 

"Yeeesh.." said Xanthe. "Come on. We'll just look at the other side." she told Seren.

The sisters walked over, _Seren being sure to stay a good distance away from the glass this time._

"They're so pretty." said Seren looking at the starfishes.

"Yeah, pretty _boring._" said Xanthe. "They're not doing anything."

"Neither do eels." Blanca gave her a side smile.

Xanthe gasped. "Eels shock, they don't _have_ to do anything else. That's more than enough for them." was Xanthe's rebuttal.

Nila stared at the starfishes, then she looked over at the lobsters. _I_ guess_ they seem happy..? They're at least safe.. They don't seem sad.. Or I hope they're not.._

"Nila!" Seren called for her. "Come on, we're gonna go _see_ the _sea_ anemone now." she chuckled and Blanca and Xanthe groaned. Nila took one last look at the lobsters and went to go meet her sisters.


	3. Chapter Three

.............

As they continued down the hall into an opening, Seren saw Harold and Sid looking at a group of hammerhead sharks. "Ooooo!! I'll be back!" she told her sisters and ran up to the two boys. "Hey! Is that Lockjaw?"

"Pffft, yeah right." said Harold.

Seren turned her head to see Helga and Febe looking at a Giant Pacific Octopus. She ran to them. "Is _that_ Lockjaw?"

"Are you kidding?" said Helga. "Lockjaw could suck him up like vermicelli."

"Seren, let's go. Sign says the sea anemone is just up ahead." said Xanthe.

Seren ran to catch up with her sisters.

......

"Woooooww!! Everything's so colorful!!" Seren squealed.

The four of them stood in front of a huge glass wall. Aiptasa, heteracti, stichodactyl, Ammonia and Anenthemonae were scattered across the seabed. Clownfish, Domino Damselfish, Sawcheek and Bridle Cardinalfish, Hawkfish, Sunburst Butterfly fish and juvenile Bluehead and Yellowhead Wrasses swam about as Mithrax, Spotted Porcelain, Arrow and Spider crabs climbed and crabwalked underneath of them.

They sat there for a few minutes looking at the fish and the crabs.

"Hey, look at that one." said Seren pointing at one of the crabs hanging from the side of a stick. "Awee, it's trying to climb up that stick."

Nila moved her hand gently up and the water underneath of the crab lifted up, lifting the crab onto the stick.

"Awe, that was nice of you, Nila." Seren smiled at her.

Nila didn't say anything to her and walked away.

"Welp. _I'm_ getting bored." said Xanthe. "Okay, Seren. We looked at a the sea anemone ogether. Now it's time for me to go see the true stars of this building. I bid everyone adiue." she opened her map, looked around and turned down walking the opposite way from where they came from.

Blanca opened her map. "Looks like the clam exhibit is on the other side of this building." she closed the map back up. "Well, if anyone needs me, you know where I'll be." she walked off in another direction.

And then it was two..

"Is there.. anything that you want to see yet, Nila?" Seren asked.

Nila was quiet for a few moments until she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Seren.. I've been trying to look on the positive side of this aquarium.. but I can't help but think that all of these innocent sea life should be out. Out in the wild and free and happy." she was about to place her hand on the glass, but thought about the janitor guy again.

"But Taffy said that they're being well cared for. And some of them are endangered.. Being out in the wild could do more damage..But at the same time, I can see where you're coming from about holding animals in captivity but.." she trailed off.

"But what about those who aren't endangered? They're just being kept here in this small area just for fun.. So people can just gawk at them.. And they're just going to stay here for the rest of their life..And nobody's batting an eye because they have their essentials.."

"But isn't that a good thing? They're out of harm's way and they have all that they need."

"So in other words.. you actually _agree_ that they should stay in these tanks all of their lives.." her voice was bitter and strained. She furrowed her eyes at Seren.

"Um..." she looked away. "Not necessarily. I just..want them to be safe and cared for, is all.."

Nila didn't say anything.

"I've.. never really thought of it that way, like you have.." said Seren. "But..what's _really_ wrong, Nila. We've been to tons of aquariums before and you never acted like this."

"It's nothing Seren, I just want them out of this zoo!-Ah, Aquarium." she corrected herself. "I.. just want them out of this aquarium.. It's just not right keeping living things in one confined space for their whole entire lives.. Even if they have everything to survive.."

Seren looked at Nila.

"Hey, Seren!"

The two looked up to see Gerald and the same group of teens he was with from earlier. "We're gonna see Lockjaw! Come on!"

Seren looked over to Nila. Her face was still contorted but slowly faded into a sad look. She looked at the ground.

"Nila..Uh... We could go back to the bus? ..And.."

"No, Seren." she whispered. "You don't have to do that. I guess I'm just taking things out of proportion again."

"Nila.."

"It's okay, Seren."

"No, I don't want to leave you."

She groaned. "Seren, I'll.." she took another feel breath. "I'll just catch up..Okay?"

"..Okay..." she looked at her. "See ya then, Nila." she walked away slowly, not picking up her pace until she got close to the group.

"How big you reckon he got over the last eight years?" Stinky asked.

"GiNORMOUS." 

"Ginormous isn't a word, Sid." said Gerald.

The five of them walked out the enclosed exhibit to a wide opened area filled with various deep holes. Inside of them laid various sea mammals and sea creatures in their habitat.

"Lockjaw!" Gerald pointed at a sign with the words written in black. The group ran and stood around the empty exhibit. Sid pressed the button on the fence and a faded male voice sounded through the speaker on an old oak tree. 

"And now presenting, the terror of the deep. The ancient reptile whose ancestors date back over 150 million years!

"I think that's a stretch." said Stinky.

"..The mighty Lockjaw!" the speaker crackled. 

The teens cheered as an old turtled slowly made its way out of a small, caved shelter he was resting in. His skin was dry and flaky and there were graffiti markings all over his shell.

".._That's_ Lockjaw?" Seren asked, looking over the wall and down at the creature 

"Big deal!" Harold shouted.

"That turtle bites." said Stinky.

"He seemed a lot bigger when we were in 1st grade.." said Sid.

Seren heard a gasp from behind her and she turned to see Nila with a very upset expression on her face. She ran to the wall to get a better look at the turtle. "No.." she shook her head.

"He's not scary at all." said Stinky.

What a rip." said Harold. He looked at his ice cream, then got an idea. He looked at the group and the teens egged him on.

The boy threw the ice cream and it landed right on the turtles shell. "Yes! I got him!"

Nila spun around, her hands clenched and her glare menacing. 

"What? Whatchu lookin' at me like that for?" Harold stepped up towards her.

She bared her teeth, glaring at him as a tear slid down her face. 

The air started to cool around them.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're crying over a widdle turddal." he teased. "BAAAAAHAHAHA!" his eyes were closed as he held his belly, laughing. "What a crybaby!"

Nila raised her hand and threw it down. A gush of water was pulled up from the lake of the turtle's exhibit and it hurled towards Harold. "BAHAHAHAHAHA!! BLEEEH!!" he choked on the water. He opened his eyes, then looked up at her. "Was that.. Was that the dirty turtle water from down there?!" he pointed to the exhibit. 

Nila didn't answer him. Another tear fell as her breathing became shaky. She threw her arm up again and threw it down with more force. More water came up and flung towards Harold at a faster pace.

"BLAAAHH PLETHPLETHPLETH ACCK!! I SWALLOWED SOME!! AAAACK!! OH, NOW I'M PROBABLY GOING TO GET SICK!!! WAAAAAA!!!" the boy ran away crying. The teens started pointing and laughing at him.

"Nila.." Seren pulled her sister's arm back down. A loud cracking whine escaped Nila's throat as she took in a breath. She let out a choked sob. Another breath. And then she started sobbing. The temperature dropped significantly and everyone fell and started crying.

Nila yanked her arm from Seren's now weak grasp. "This is the worse place ever!!" she shouted and she ran back into the building. 

"Nila, wait.." Seren wobbled and fell. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She sniffed. "Wait, Nila." she choked out. She couldn't move. Nobody could move until Nila was far away from the outside exhibit.

"What the heck was that?" said Stinky. He got up slowly, wiping his face and everyone started to do the same.

"Did she do that?!" Sid asked. The teens started to talk amongst each other.

"Yeah, she can.. do that." Seren got up and looked at the spot where Nila had ran off to. Then something caught her eye and she turned to see the turtle slowly swimming into the water. It dived down and disappeared under the water.

.....

Nila was sobbing loud in the empty, dim lit halls of the building. She was leaning on a glass wall of a near empty ecosystem. Just a few patches of greenery on the bottom of the water. Suddenly, a huge, round figure came into view.

Nila heard a light tap on the glass and looked up. "It's.. it's you." she sniffed. "Hello there.." she said softly to him. She turned around to face him. "Oh, if only there was some way for you to leave this disgusting place.." she said coarsely. "You don't belong here. You don't belong to be treated like this." she raised her hand to the glass and hesitated. She decided to touch glass, not caring about the aquarium's stupid rules. "I wish I could help you." she said to him. "I wish I could set you free." the turtle held up his fin to the glass towards her hand. 

She sighed and leaned her forhead on the glass. She tilted her head up slightly and looked up at him. "If only there was a way to help set you free. What can I do.." she sniffled.

............

Seren was on the second floor, looking for Nila. She walked pass a group of teens laughing in front of a small tank of salmon.

"....Yeah? Well, check this out." said one kid. He shapeshifted his face into a hammerhead shark and his arms into fins. "Look at me, I'm a flippin little dolphin. Let me flip for you." he clapped his fins.

Seren walked over. _Maybe one of them seen Nila._

"No you're not. You're a hammerhead shark." said Courtney.

"I. I know that! _That_ was the joke."

"But I _still_ don't get it..Why the hammerhead shark?"

The boy shapeshifted back and face palmed himself. 

"Whatever!! Me next, me next!" said Courtney. She shapeshifted into a tall, cartoonish rooster. "Ah?" she said to them. 

They looked at her. "And you are?.." asked one girl.

"What in the, I say what in the world is this? Nobody knows who I am?!" she said in a southern drawl.

They continued to look at her.

"Okay, enough of that." said Miranda. "Check this out." she shapeshifted her head into a turtle. Then she said in an old, deep, raspy voice. "Ooohh, I'm soooo old and helpless and boorriiiing. All I do is sit and let kids draw on my shell and throw stuff at me because I'm soooo lame and ooooold."

Everyone started laughing.

"That's so true!" said one girl.

Seren decided to save the 'Have you seen Nila?' question for later. Right now she wanted to address something else. "That's not funny, Miranda."

"What?" The hybrid turned around. "Ah, well if it isn't the little pip.squeak." she teased. 

"Call me what you want, Miranda, but you mocking that turtle is wrong." 

"Oh, relax. I was just having a little bit of fun, Seren." she shapeshifted into Seren.

_How can she do that so easily?!?! NO! Focus, Seren. Stay mad at her. _

”Oh, you're getting really good, Miranda." said Courtney.

"Yeah, I know." she looked at Seren with a sinister grin. She twirled around Seren.

"Very funny, Miranda." said Seren. "You know, you could hurt yourself with shapeshifting too much." she pursed her lips at her. 

Miranda stopped in front of her, laughing. "I think I hear a bit of jealousy in your voice.. _I_ have been shapeshifting for years and nothing has ever happened before." she leaned in towards Seren. "I'm a shapeshift master, after all." she leaned back up and looked at the group behind her. "Am I right or am I right?" 

"Yeah." "You got that right." "Totally." they all agreed with her.

"The BEST, I say, the BEST of the best. Shapeshifter, that is." Courtney was still in character.

"Okay you can drop the act already, Courtney."

"I'm not Courtney. I'm a _Chicken._ Rooster, that is."

"Okay, looks like we're really doing this." she turned back to Seren and shapeshifted her legs to be taller. She put her arm on Seren's curls and put her attention towards her manicured nails. "Yeah. Nobody can beat me in shapeshifting." 

"Now hold on just a sec-, I say hold on just a second here gal. I just thought of something here. We haven't seen Seren here shapeshift yet. How do _you_ know that you're the best? We haven't seen Seren here shapeshift yet." _Oh no.._

"Like _she_ of all people could shape shift better than _me._" she scoffed and shape shifted back to herself. "Yeah right."

"Well maybe she should show you a lil sumthin' !" 

"Uh, well, I don't really feel like -"

"She couldn't last a few minutes." said Miranda.

"She has a point.." Seren tried to cut in.

"You're just afraid, I say you're just afraid that she'll do better than you."

"No, she shouldn't be afraid of that because I can't really-"

"Afraid?! That's a laugh! HA! She can't even summon her weapon.

_Yeah.. that's true.._

"Shapeshifting is easier than summoning a weapon! Seren. Show her. Teach this gal a lesson."

Everyone was looking at her.

She looked at Courtney. "Well, go on. Show her." 

"I.. can't shapeshift."

"What was that now?" Miranda cupped her ear.

"I can't.. shapeshift."

"I knew it!"

"Really?! But I thought you were an era 1 gem." said Courtney.

_I'm not sure what kind of gem I am. ._Seren shrugged. "I tried a few times before, but I could never do it. I wish I could shapeshift like you though."

Courtney tilted her head, looking at Seren up and down at an angle. "You could probably learn. Maybe you've been going all about it all wrong, gal."

"So you think I could do it?!"

"Sure. It _is_ pretty easy. Here, watch." She shapeshifted into a seal and barked. Then a wolf and howled. Then a wrestler, then to a cartoonish Bluejay. "Whoaaaaa~~~" she shouted. Then she turned back into giant cartoon rooster. "See that? That was easy. And you should be able to do it too." she continued with her Southern voice.

"I want to try it all!" 

"You're really going to help her, Courtney?"

"Oh hush up, Miranda." she shook her head. "Girl's got a mouth like a cannon. Aways shootin' it off.. Okay Seren." she put her hands on her shoulder. "Time to get ya to shapeshift."

She squealed. "Show me how to change into a bird! Ooooo! Or a lion! Or a cat!! Oooooo, Or a fox!! No! No wait..." she thought about the poor, innocent turtle at the exhibit. _I can play homage to him!_ "a tortoise." 

"Ew.. of all the things, you want to turn into that?"

Seren smiled, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Yeeeeeuuuuk.. Well,.. alright.." she grimaced. "Okay, now repeat after me." she shapeshifted back to herself. "First. Think of what you want to be."

"Yeaaahh?" her smile grew wider. The picture of the turtle in her mind.

"And theeeen."

"Yeaaaaahhh?!?!" 

"You just.. shake it out." she shook her arms out and turned back into the rooster. "See that, gal?" she laughed. "Now it's your turn."

"Okay." Seren inhaled deeply. "Tuuuuuurrrrrtleeeee."

"Nah, gal. You're too tense, see. You're as tense as a body builder's calf muscle after a charley horse." she pushed Seren's shoulders down. "Just relax and feel it." 

"Face it. You can't do it." said Miranda.

"But I'm trying." 

"No." Courtney snapped her feathered fingers in Seren's face. "I say, pay attention to _me_ when I'm talkin' to ya gal. Don't listen to her." she pointed at Miranda. "That girl has a mouth like an outboard motor."

Miranda growled. Rolling her eyes.

Courtney gave Seren a pat on the shoulder. "Now. GO ahead and show 'em!"

Seren took a deep breath. "Okay.. Feeeeeeeel iiiiiiit." she waved her limbs around. Nothing happened. But Courtney continued to wait.

"Come on, come on." Seren said to herself.

Courtney started to lose her patience. "Look, sista. Is any of this filterin' through that floofy, pink hair of yours? You just gotta feeeel it. Relax and breaaathe." Seren continued to concentrate, but nothing happened. "..Hey, if you're not ready, maybe we can try another time-"

"No wait! I can do it!" she concentrated more, shaking out her limbs harder. "Yeah.. yeah.." she grunted.

Nothing happened.

"Well it was a good try, Seren, but nothing's.." she trailed off as a dim flash of light around Seren as her shirt ripped into shreds as her back widened into a shell. Her neck stretched out as her hands turned into stumps. 

Seren gasped blushing as she held up the few pieces of clothing up to her chest.

"Euuuuuuhhg." said one girl in the back.

Courtney looked at her up and down. "Whoa, what happened to you, gal? You look like two miles of bad road."

Everyone, except for Courtney started laughing.

"Umm..Uh.." she felt her face burn up more as the teens started pointing and laughing at her more. "Umm... I gotta go." she ran off as pieces of her clothes flew off of her. That only made everyone laugh more.

Courtney shook her head. "Nice gal but about as sharp as a sack of wet mice."

...........

Seren ran down the hall, following the signs to get to the nearest restroom.

Chi was sitting alone, finishing up her sushi. She dipped the sashimi in the the small cup of soy sauce and bit into it. 

Seren ran pass her on the other side of the hall, not noticing her as she ran towards the restroom door.

"Seren? Seren!" she watched as the girl clung to her shirt as she ran into the bathroom. _セレンの背中はどうなりましたか？Seren no senaka wa dō narimashita ka? (What was wrong with her back?)_

She picked up her bowl of rice and scooped the rest of the rice into her mouth and she drunk the rest of the soy sauce. Then she picked up a small cup, finishing her green tea. She packed up her Benton box and all of her cups and put them in her lunch bag, putting the lunch inside of a small back pack.

She threw the bag over her shoulder and went to the bathroom. She pushed the door open slowly and walked in. "Seren?"

She heard a toilet flush and a lady walked out of the stall. She pat her hair down fixing it, then she pulled open the door, walking out the bathroom. 

Chi wrinkled up her nose. _キモイ！彼女はどうやって手を洗わずにトイレから出ることができますか！？Kimoi! Kanojo wa dō yatte te o arawazu ni toire kara deru koto ga dekimasu ka!? (Gross! How could she just walk out the bathroom without washing her hands?) _ She shook her head, then turned her attention to Seren. "Seren?" she called out to her. "Seren, I know you're in there..大丈夫? daijoubu?"(Are you okay?)

There was silence for a few seconds and then she saw Seren's feet walk up to the door of the stall. "No... 大丈夫じゃない daijoubu janai."(I'm not okay..)

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"I tried to shapeshift and it.. didn't go so well."

"Oh, Seren.." she tried to think of something to say. "Did you want to come out and show me? It's only me in here."

"Well.. it may be a bit unnerving."

"It's okay, Seren. I've watched a lot of scary movies during my time. I don't think I would be too phased by it."

"..Okay." she unlocked the door and took her time walking out the door. Chi looked at her and Seren shrunk in on herself, literally, pushing her neck towards her body.

Chi puffed out her cheeks, holding in her burst of laughter.

"Hey! What's so funny!" she poked out her lip.

" あたしは笑っていない。Atashi wa waratte inai."(I'm not laughing.)" she held her laughter in.

"Yes you are!" she whined.

"I'm not, I'm not!" she snorted. "So... What happened exactly?"

Seren walked up to the mirror. "Long story short..I tried to shapeshift into a turtle but.." she turned to Chi. "It didn't turn out right. OH COME ON! You're totally laughing!

Chi's face was red, trying to hold in the laughter, until Seren had called her out on it again. She burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. I'm *snorts* I'm so, so sorry. It's just.. It's just!" she couldn't get it out through her laughter.

"It's just _what?"_ Seren pouted.

"You look.. *snorts*snorts** You look just like 亀仙人 Kame Sennin." (Turtle Hermit). she put her hand in front of her mouth as she laughed more.

"Who?"

"Oh, what's the English name for him?" she chuckled. "Master *chuckles* Master Roshi!" she couldn't stop laughing.

"I have no idea who that is... And it's not that funny!!" she whined.

"ごめんね、ごめんぬ! Gomenne, gomenne! (I'm sorry, I'm sorry!) You're right, you're absolutely right!" she tried to calm down and she opted out for closing her eyes and taking a few shaky breaths. She opened her eyes after a few moments.

"Everything all out now?" Seren asked.

"Yes." she snorted.

Seren rolled her eyes and sighed. "_Anyway._ I've been trying to change back, but I just can't do it."

Chi was finally finished with her laughing spell. "Well, how did you do it last time? Maybe you can try to do that." 

"I did, but it didn't work. No matter how hard I imagine my own self, I can't shapeshift back."

Chi covered her arms as if she was cold. "But we have to think of something.. You can't go out the bathroom looking like that." she started tearing up. "We just can't." A tear slid down her face. 

"I know!" Seren wiped at her teary eyes. 

Just then, the door opened and they turned around. Nila was walking in, wiping her face. She looked at them. "Seren!" her aura disappeared. "What happened!" she ran over to her.

"Courtney tried to help me shapeshift and-"

"Courtney?! Oooo.. I should've known she would do this.." said Chi.

"She didn't do anything wrong! She was just trying to help me."

"Can you change back?!" Nila asked her.

"I tried already, but I couldn't."

"Courtney DEFINITELY did something here-"

"She didn't! She really didn't! Look I'll uh.. I'll just uh.. well if I can't shapeshift back to myself maybe I can try to shapeshift into something else then. At least something a bit more presentable. Maybe that'll work. Then I'll just have Taffy or Sterling help me when we get to the hotel since they're both gem experts.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? You already turned into.. this." Nila gestured at Seren. "No offense.."

"Nila's right. What if something happens?"

"I'll just have to try it out. We can't be sure if I don't try it out." said Seren. "Now I just have to think about what I want to be.." 

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nila whispered to Chi.

"I do too.."

Seren thought about what she could transform into. A bird should be easy. Or maybe even a rabbit.. Then her mind immediately went to what had happened this morning with that cute little kitty.

"A cat! That's what I'll try to shappeshift into."

"Be careful, Seren." said Nila. Chi watched on, a worried expression on her face.

"Shake iiiiiit" one hand held up her shirt as she waved the other arm around. "Oooout!" her arm started to slim down into a slender paw and the other arm did the same as her back shrunk back to size. Pointed ears started to protrude from her hair and she started to grow a fuzzy tail. She started getting smaller, shrinking down two feet. 

"I think she's actually doing it!' Nila whispered.

"Come oooon." Seren grunted. Her nose shapeshifted and whiskers flicked out from the sides. Dark pink stripes formed all around her body and two stripes lined up on her cheeks.

She stopped, gasping for air. "Alright." a breath. "I think that's all I could do." another breath. "So.. how do I look? I'm afraid to look in the mirror." she looked at them with her cat eyes.

They looked at her for a moment. Jaws slightly slacked open.

"Oh no! Is it that bad!?" she grabbed her ears and clenched her small, sharp teeth.

"You look so.." Nila started.

"Look so what?!?"

"Cuuuuute!!" "かわいいだ！Kawaiida!!!!" Nila and Chi ran over to her, cooing at her.

"Look at your ears!!" Nila put each hand on one, moving them side to side.

"And those cute widdle whiskers!!" Chi flicked them.

For whatever reason, Seren didn't like all that skin contact. "Guuuys." they ignored her and Nila squished her face like a fish. "Awwwweeeeee, look at you, look at you!" 

Seren started yowling.

"Aw, look at her getting into character and trying to growl." cooed Chi, playing with her paw.

Seren pulled her paw away, hissing. "Ooo! Feistyわこの子." "..wa kono ko." (She's a feisty one.) she chuckled.

The touching and the petting and Seren's yowling continued until the door opened up again. The three looked at the door. An administrator walked in. Her eyes went right to the two girls snickering at a little girl whose clothes was all messed up and torn.

"What are you two doing?" 

"Nothing." Chi held her hands up.

"My sister tried to shapeshift and now we're just trying to help her." said Nila. 

The woman walked over. "Is this true?"

Seren nodded. "I just turned myself into a cat!" she shouted.

"I can see that. And there's a time and place for everything and shape shifting inside of a bathroom aquarium is one of them. Look at you. Messed up your shirt and everything. Do you have another shirt or at least a jacket."

"N-"

"Yes ma'am!" Chi cut in.

"Good." The lady turned around, heading back out the door. "Hurry up. We're leaving in ten minutes." she walked out the bathroom.

"I don't have an extra shirt OR a jacket, Chi." said Seren.

"I know. That's why I'm giving you my sweater." she started taking it off. "Here."

Seren grabbed it. "But you'll be cold."

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's not too cold out today. And I have on long sleeves." 

"Mm.. okay.." 

The two looked away as Seren put the sweater on. She threw the shreds of clothing in the trash. "Okay, I'm ready."

They turned around. The sweater was down to her knees and the sleeves were over her paws.

"Now you look even cuter!!!!" Nila squeaked. "Oh, I just have to pick you up!"

"No! No! Let. GO of me! Let go!" she started yowling again.

"Awww, but the Seren I know ALWAYS loves hugs and cuddles. And being a cat is no exception." she cooed, rubbing between Seren's ears. Seren flicked one ear in annoyance. The gutteral yowling continued as Nila walked towards the door with Seren still in her arm .

"Hold on, Nila."

"Hm?"

Chi went to the sinks and waved her hand under the napkin dispenser. _Zzzzzzzt._ She ripped the napkin off and held the door handle, pulling the door open. "By the way, Nila. You're holding her wrong. Holding her under her arms like that won't make her feel supported. You need to hold her close to you and make sure your hands are underneath of her paws."

Nila tried to readjust her arms but Seren kept squirming around. "Oh, fine Seren." she chuckled and let her down. 

The three of them walked pass the lobby and out the front door.

"There you are." said Xanthe. She was waiting over near the building. She looked down at Seren. The girl gave her a sleeve wave, smiling joyfully at her. "You know what, I'm not even going to ask." Xanthe turned on her heels and started walking towards the buses.

"Hey! Aren't you just a tad bit curious as to what happened?!" she ran after Xanthe. "I finally shapeshifted! I did it! I actually did it!" she cheered.

Nila and Chi chuckled as they followed the two towards the buses. "Awwee, look at Seren trying to keep up with Xanthe." said Nila.

"I know." said Chi. "She's just skipping away."

They walked to the curb and Chi waved to Nila. "See ya, Nila." and she got on her bus.

Nila walked pass a few buses and did the same.

........

"Blanca!" Seren squeaked, giving Blanca a fanged smile :3 "Look what I can do now!"

Blanca looked at her from her window seat. A wry smile came across her face. "So you can turn into a nekomimi now?"

Seren titled her head and blinked. "What's that?"

"Okay, everyone. To your seat." said the bus driver.

Seren jumped on the seat and sat down just as the bus pulled off. She fell back.

A few minutes of silence with Seren swinging her legs over the seat, she finally broke the silence. "So Blanca." _I should've known the silence wasn't going to last for too long.._ Blanca turned her head. "How was the clam exhibit?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Blanca was sitting around the shallow tub of water along with a few other teens as the lady continued educating them about the making of pearls.

One teen raised her hand. "But I thought only clams could make pearls. I didn't know mussels could make them too."

"Yes." she nodded. "And oysters as well. You see," she picked up the display clam that was sitting beside her. "when an irritant gets trapped inside of a clam, or a mussel or oyster, fluid called nacre is used as a defense mechanism to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this fluid is deposited until a pearl is formed." the lady opened the clam, showing it to the group. 

Just the sight of the pearl took Blanca's breath away. They were so beautiful, so dainty. But.. there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.. She felt some kind of connection to it..

The lady handed the clam to the first teen in the row. The girl looked at it and touched the pearl, then the clam's tongue before handing it off to the next person then that person sent it to the next.

The clam eventually got to Blanca. She grabbed it from the guy and held the clam up in front of her.

"How long does the process take?" asked one hybrid.

"Freshwater pearls can take up to one to six years, while saltwater pearls can take five up to twenty years." 

"Wow.." she said. "No wonder why pearls are always so salty. They must be the saltwater ones."

Laughter broke out in the group and Blanca kept her eyes on the pearl laying neatly inside of the clam.

_The laughter around her grew distant and muffled. Then everything went silent for a few seconds before she heard familiar voices and sounds again. She was back on Homeworld.._

"Hey. It's my turn with the clam now." said the girl beside her. She raised her arm up to Blanca. She didn't move. Both hands still holding on to the clam.

"Hey." she moved her shoulder. Blanca didn't move.

Everyone looked over at her.

"Miss?" the lady got up from her chair by the tub.

Blanca was watching her memories, eyes flickering left and right as she looked at the surroundings only she could see.

"Miss, is everything alright?" the lady made her way towards Blanca.

Blanca's eyes flickered left and right a few more times until it stopped, looking right at the pearl in front of her, then her eyes started to glow.

"Whoa, what's happening?" asked one teen. The group started stepping away from her. 

The lady called for the security guard and he rushed over. "I'm not sure what's happening to her." she told him.

He walked over to Blanca. "Ma'am? ..Is everything okay over here?" No response from her. "Ma'am?" he said again and stretched out his hand. A faint wind started to blow her hair around and he stopped.

He stepped back and pulled out his walkie talkie. "Ma'am?" he gave her a final chance to say something. He pressed the button on the side of it and it chirped. The wind stopped abruptly and her eyes stopped glowing. She blinked a few times just as a jolt of pain panged through her head. She clenched her forehead with one hand. The other hand clenching the clam tightly. The security guard stepped towards her cautiously, clipping the walkie talkie back on his belt. "Ma'am. Are you okay? I'm going to send a paramedic to you." 

"No!" she shouted before quickly changing her tone. "No, I'm fine. I just.. spaced out for a few moments."

"Your eyes were glowing." said someone in the group.

_So that happened?.._"No, it was just.." she looked at everyone around her, ..looking at her. 

She turned to the security guard and quickly handed him the clam. "Here." then she turned and made her way to the exit of the exhibit.

"Wait! Are you sure you're okay?" the security guard asked her.

She kept her pace towards the exit. "Yes, I'm sure.." she said. "Now if you please excuse me.." she didn't finish her sentence as she walked out of the exhibit 

The walkie talkie chirped back. "Haven't heard anything back from you. Is everything okay?" his coworker asked.

The security guard took the walkie talkie from the holder and brought it up to his lips. "...Yeah...?"

.......

Now that Blanca was away from everyone, she started to calm down. As well as think back on her most recent memory _AND discovery.._

_..So I_ AM_ involved in the making of pearls... I wonder if other gems can do that too?_ She walked towards a nearby bench to sit down and think about what all had happened in her memory.. and to meditate for a few minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, it was.. quite informative." Blanca eventually told Seren. _In more ways than one.._

"Oh that's good to hear." she continued kicking her feet and looking up at Blanca.

Blanca looked away.. but she couldn't help but feel that Seren was still staring at her. She looked back and.. she still was. "Seren, why are you staring at me?" 

Seren kept staring at her with her cat eyes.

"Seren." she said with a bit more force in her voice.

"..Has your hair always been that spiky?" 

"What kind of a question is that?"

Seren got up on her knees. "I want to touch your hair."

"Don't you dare touch my hair!" she slid towards the window.

Seren giggled. "You rhymed." she slid her sleeve down and started pawing gently and patting Blanca's hair.

"Seren, stop touching my hair." she moved Seren's paw away.

"Teehee.. your hair is so soft. Who would've thought." Seren went to touch her hair again, patting her spikes down. 

"Seren, I said stop." she swat her hand away again.

"But it's fun." she started batting at one spike.

"Seren, I'm warning you." she pushed her paw out the way again.

Something caught Seren's eye out the window. "OOOOOOOO!!!" she climbed over Blanca. "Seren! Get off my lap!" Seren pressed her face against the glass, looking at a flock of birds in the sky. "I want to catch them.." she whispered.

"Seren, stop. You're not a cat." Blanca grabbed Seren to lift her off of her. "No!" she started hissing. "I want the window seat!" she grabbed the windowsill with her nails.

Blanca sighed. "Fine! Take the window seat." she slid over, sliding from underneath of Seren. "I didn't want the window seat anyway.." she mumbled.

Seren continued to watch the birds fly on by. Her eyes darting left and right. 

Seren's tail swished back and forth, hitting Blanca in the face. "Seren, watch the tail." She leaned to the side, batting the tail away from her eye. The tail swooshed down, but floated back up moments later, hitting Blanca's face again. 

Blanca groaned and just sat there, not bothering to move the tail again as it continued to hit her eye. 

A few more birds went by and Seren raised her head up, getting a better look out the window, watching the birds zip back and forth pass the bus. A bird flew up close to the bus and Seren opened her mouth, making small chittering sounds at the prey. Another bird swooped down pass her face and she placed her paw on the window, pawing at the glass, chittering at the window.

She blinked her eyes, revealing dilated pupils.


	4. Chapter 4

Throughout the whole bus ride, Seren was quiet, say for the chittering noises she was doing every now and again.

The bus parallel parked at the curb of the school and the bus driver turned the bus off. "Okay, everyone. We're back at the school." 

"Awww.." the kids protested. They got up slowly, making their way even more slowly to the front of the bus.

"Seren." No answer. "Seren, come on. Hey." Blanca shook Seren's shoulders.

Seren stopped in mid chatter, turning around to Blanca. "Huh?"

Blanca pulled her arm back. "What's with your eyes?"

"What do you mean? I shape shifted them into cat eyes."

"Yes, yes. I know. We've already established that. But they look different now. More.. wild."

"Oh, Blanca. Relax." Seren said casually. "It's probably due to me looking out the window for so long."

"Yeah, I don't think that's it.."

"Come on, come on already. Everybody, off the bus. Off the bus." the bus driver ordered them. 

Blanca looked at Seren. "Blanca, I'm fine." then Seren's eyes wondered to Blanca's hair and she pat at a spike.

Blanca swat her hand away and got up, not saying anything else. Seren followed behind, smiling as she hopped of the bus.

All of the gems and hybrids were leaving the school's grounds; people picking them up, and the rest were simply flying, helicoptering or super jumping away.

Chi was busy unlocking her bike by the school. A limo was turning down from the parking lot. One of the windows rolled down. "Have fun riding home on your new bike, Chi!" Courtney teased. Chi only mumbled something in Japanese under her breath glaring at Courtney's smug look. The girl waved to Chi and she said something to the limo driver and the vehicle started pulling off. Then Blake tried to squeeze his head through the window. "Chi!" he shouted. "Chi, I miss you!!" 

"Blake! Sit DOWN and shut up or I'll-" the limo was down the street, her sentence being cut off in the distance.

Chi rolled her eyes and continued mumbling something in Japanese as she opened the lock. She put the lock in her bag and started unwrapping the chains from her bike.

"Chi!" she heard another familiar _and friendly_ voice behind her.

She turned to see Seren running up to her. Her sister was walking away from the buses and towards their usual spot by the benches.

Chi waved to Seren, trying hard to not squeal at how cute she looked toddling over to her.

"Oh, cool!" she stopped in front of her. "You have a new bike now?" 

"Yeah. I got it just a few days ago."

"It's so shiny" she looked at the orange, shiny bike. In front of it was a light blue basket. And the structure inside of the tires were red. "Looks cooler than your other one."

"Hehe, well." she tried to dismiss the compliment. "I'm just happy that I have a bike in general." she opened her bag to get her helmet, but it was underneath of her thermos. She tried to pull out the container, but it was stuck. She tugged on the bottle more and yanked it out, the top of the thermos flying off and sending water to Seren's face. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Seren!" 

"Don't worry. That's okay." Seren wiped her face off. Chi went to grab the top off the ground and screwed it back on the bottle. Then she took the helmet out before putting the bottle back in the bag, zipping it back up. "Anyway, as long as this bike can take me from point A to point B, I'm happy." she threw the bag over her back.

"Right, that's understandable." The wind blew something behind Chi and Seren looked behind her at a bundle of colorful streamers on another bike. She shook her head of the thought of patting at it. _Why did she think of doing that?_ She turned her attention back to Chi. "Well, anyway. I didn't want anything. Just thought I would see you off." 

"Well that's nice of you, Seren." she put the helmet over her head and strapped the velcro under her chin. Then she got on her bike. "Wait, are you going to the ski trip? We never really talked about it thoroughly. I know I told you that I was going."

Seren nodded her head enthusiastically. "Of course!! Xanthe and I are planning something very important for that trip." 

"Something that you can't tell me, I suppose." she smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup. Xanthe and I have vowed to not tell ANYONE what it is, to prevent anyone from trying to sabotage our plan."

"Really? My, now I'm even more curious." she chuckled.

She folded her arms, shaking her head, a smile on her face. "Sorry, Chi. But. Vows are vows. And I can not break it."

"Haha, I know. I wasn't asking you to tell me." she adjusted the gears on her bike.

"Well you won't have to wait for long. You should know in two days." 

"Welp. Can't wait." then Chi stayed in position, her foot on the ground.

Seren realized that. "Oh! Well, um. Let me not hold you up." she stepped out of her way.

"No, you're fine, Seren. Well, see you tomorrow." she stepped off the ground.

"See you, Chi. Have a safe bike ride home."

Chi stopped, setting her foot back down on the ground. "Oh, I'm not going home. I'm going to a lake just on the outskirts of Beach City." she pointed at the fishing rod sticking out of her bag. "This month is pretty good for fishing. And I heard that the salmon are really biting this year. Thought I would make some sashimi with it." she gave her a thumbs up.

"I don't know what that is." Seren smiled. "But it sounds delicious!" then she looked at the cast on Chi's arm. "Oh, but your arm. Will it be okay for that?"

"Yup." she moved her arm up and down on the sling. "It's healed. So I should be fine." Then she grabbed the handle bar again. "じぁ、Jaa (Well/then) see ya, Seren." she stepped off the ground again.

Seren waved to her friend as she rode off across the grass and into the bike lane of the street.

Then something caught Seren's eye. She turned to look. It was the streamers again, fluttering in the breeze.

"Hmm.." Seren tiptoed towards the bike then stopped and stared at the flowing strings. Then she inched closer, then stopped. Her eyes still glued to the streame-prey. Then she shuffled her legs a bit more and lowered her body, inching her feet more. Then she stopped. Her eyes watching the targets intently as they moved with the gentle, evening breeze. She stood there. The strings fluttered. And she stood there. And the strings fluttered. And she stood there.. And the strings continued to flutter just ever so enticingly..Then in one quick pounce she lounged at the bike, grabbing the handle bar with her claws and then biting and chewing on the strings. 

...........

"What is that girl doing over there?" Xanthe watched from the bench at Seren as she pawed and bit at the streamers. 

"I think she's still trying to be a cat." Nila giggled.

"Well she needs to stop." Xanthe got up. "She's a gem, not a cat." 

They saw Seren biting and pulling on the handlebar, pulling the bike down. The bike shifted from the gate, and tilted towards her, spooking her. She jumped, her back in an arc and that earned a snickering snort from Nila. She looked at Xanthe who wasn't amused. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that was pretty funny." she snorted. "And cute."

Seren approached the bike again, slowly, creeping on her tiptoes.

"All right, I'm stopping this act right now." Xanthe started her walk towards Seren who was now smelling the bike curiously.

Xanthe took a few more steps and stopped right behind her sister. "Seren!" 

"YEEEPP!!" the fur on her head spiked up as jumped and spun around to face the voice. "Oh, Xanthe. It's only you. Hey." she started to calm back down.

"Seren, what are you doing? You're acting more weird than usual."

Seren expression went to something of confusion. She titled her head, perplexed at what Xanthe was telling her. "What are you talking about? I just really like this bike, is all." 

"Aaaaand so.. you decided to.. smell it?"

"Yes. In order to get the scent of it." she said matter of factly.

Xanthe scrunched up her face in a 'say whaa?'expression. She looked at Seren for a few moments. So many snarky remarks and comebacks swirling through her mind. Then she decided to just change the subject all together. "You know what, just forget about it. Let's just go."

"Yeah." Seren told her, not paying attention as she pat at the streamers, not getting up from her crouching spot.

"Seren, let's go."

"Yeah." she clawed at the streamers.

"Seren, I said 'let's go'."

"Yeah." 

"Seren, you're not even listening."

"Yeah."

"Seren!"

She stop mid pat, turning to Xanthe "What?" she sounded aggravated. 

"I said, 'let's go'. We're going back to the hotel."

Seren sighed, frowning. "Fiiiiine.." she bat at the streamers just one more time without looking at them and got up to walk with Xanthe back to the bench. 

"Alright, time to go." said Xanthe to her sisters on the bench. They got up and started their walk to the hotel.

They crossed the street, away from the parking lot of the school and began their journey up towards the main street.

"So, Xanthe." Seren broke the silence. "I never got to ask you. How was your trip to the aquarium?"

Xanthe stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, it was okay. The eels and the electric fish were pretty cool. And while learning a bit about them, stuff like ion channels and polarity and electric potentials, I even tried to see if I could do what they can do. And. _I_ learned a new power." 

Seren gasped. "Ion channels and polarity and electric potentials?! I have no idea what those words mean!! But OOOOOOO!!! A new power?! Let me see! Let me see!"

A smug laugh from Xanthe. "Weeeell, if ya say so." Xanthe stopped and crouched down to Seren's level. Then she raised her hands holding them a foot apart. Electricity started channeling through the air in dark blue.

"Wow, Xanthe. I've never seen it that color." Seren breathed out, her irises thin vertical lines as the light shown brightly in her eyes. Then she turned to a sad looking Nila, but unaware of it. "It's your color, Nila!" she smiled up at her sister.

"Yes.. that's nice." she whispered and Seren went back to looking at the electricity crackling from Xanthe's fingers.

"I know, how cool is that?!" then Xanthe whispered to Seren. "Little miss perfect over there." she gestured with her eyes at Blanca. "Can't do this."

She can. She could easily do that.. But Blanca was going to let Xanthe have her little gloating fun for awhile.

"And watch this." Xanthe flexed her fingers and the electricity turned a hot white and Seren could feel the heat coming from it. She stepped back. "Wow, that's cool too."

"No. That's _hot."_Xanthe winked at her. 

"Wow, Xanthe! AND you made a joke! Did you learn how to make jokes from the eels too?" 

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." said Xanthe. She was too into what she was doing, too conceited to make a comeback to Seren's little joke. Then she started to get cocky. She spread her arms out more, making more white electricity as it zapped from every digit and connecting to the others across from them. Then she waved her arms around slowly, rotating her wrists. The electricity started to form into different shapes.

"It's JUST like what you can do with the t.v screens!!! Except it's.. in like.. real life electricity!!!" Seren shouted.

"Heh." then Xanthe turned to Blanca and stuck her tongue out. That earned an eye roll from Blanca. 

Xanthe went back to the electric in front of her, playing with the current and turning them into more shapes. Then the current turned from a bright white, to blue, then back to white, then it was a mixture of blue and white, Xanthe splitting the temperatures of the electrical currents. She showed off for a few more moments then threw her arms out and to the sides just as the current stopped. "Yeah, I know." She held her head up high. "I'm amazing."

"Did you learn something else?!" Seren was practically jumping up and down.

"Oh." Xanthe was stunned just for a half a second before recovering. "Pfft, nothing of importance really. Just about neuro stuff." and she stopped at that. _Electric eels are also capable of controlling their prey's nervous systems with their electrical abilities; by controlling their victim's nervous system and muscles via electrical pulses, they can keep prey from escaping or force it to move so they can locate its position._

"Fiiiine, Xanthe. Keep all of the cooler powers to yourself." Seren teased.

"Whatever, Seren." then she quickly changed the subject, continuing her walk. "Why are you still a cat anyway?

"Can't change back to myself.. Can only change to other animals."

"Hmm.. odd."

The four of them walked pass a five star restaurant and Nila walked pass a sign that read. **SOUP OF THE DAY: TURTLE SOUP**

She quickly looked away.

"So, Blanca." Xanthe crossed her arms. "How was the clam exhibit? Any interesting tidbits you learned? Anything special you learned about pearls?"

_That I have something to do with making gem pearls.._ Blanca decided to just repeat the exact same thing that the lady had told the class. "That a pearl is formed when an irritant inside of a mousel, clam or an oyster gets covered with this fluid called nacre. After layer and layers of this fluid, a pearl is formed many years later." 

"Didn't you already know that though?"

"Yes I did."

"Did you. Learn anything else?"

Blanca chose her words carefully.. "From the actual class, no." was all she said.

_'From the actual class, no'?.. What did she mean by that? ..Is that supposed to be code for.. Wait, did she have a memory'..Did she learn something from a memory? ...Blanca sure is one mysterious gem..-_

"I'm still wondering if gem pearls are made the same like clam pearls from earth." said Seren, cutting into Xanthe's thoughts.

Blanca didn't bother telling her. She kept her mouth sealed as they continued up the street.

"It's probably different though." said Xanthe, jumping into the conversation.

They walked pass an eyeglass hut at the corner of the street and Nila saw a pair of turtle shelled glasses sitting on display on the window. She sighed and tried to keep her emotions under control.

"What if other gems could make pearls!" 

Xanthe snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Like you, Seren?"

"Well.. yeah!" she cheesed with her fangs. "What if I could like, make pearls or rose quartzes" Xanthe felt a ping of disgust that quickly went away in an instant. "-opazes, or even something huge like a bismuth! Or even a flock of Lapis Lazulis!!"

"Pfft, yeah right, Seren. You couldn't even make a flower dance, let alone make _actual_ gems." she started laughing and Seren only pouted, her whisker's twitching. Blanca overhead the joke, snorting as she tried to hold in her laughter.

"Not you too, Blanca!" she whined.

Blanca held her laugh in a bit more as she cleared her throat. "Well, Xanthe may very well have a point. We're talking about _actual_ gem production here. I don't think a lot of gems could do it.

"But you believe that gems can make other gems though."

"Of course, because _I_ can-" she stopped herself. "I.. just have a hunch, is all."

They were passing by a small pond and Nila saw four small turtles crawling through the sand. _They're free.. Unlike the tortoise at the zoo.._

"Man, I can't imagine a gem that actually makes other gems. That gem must be sooo cool." said Seren.

Blanca tried not to smile. She shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think just being able to make gems would automatically make you cooler.

"What! It so does! Aw, could you even imagine that?! I would try and make a huge crowd of gems!"

"You would make a thin flake of mica." Xanthe teased.

"And_yoooou_ would probably just make more Xanthe's since you like talking about yourself." 

Another snort from Blanca.

"Seren, that doesn't even make sense, when you really think about it." was Xanthe's non comeback. "However, you making mica makes perfect sense."

"Pfft, just you wait, Xanthe. I'm going to have a WHOOOOLE VILLAGE of gems." Seren looked at Nila from the side, the girl's hoodie blocking her face. "Right Nila?"

She didn't answer her. Watching the last turtle waddle it's way towards the edge of the water, before diving into it. 

".. Nila?" 

The small turtle disappeared in one little splash. "Huh?" she looked at her.

"You've been pretty quiet."

She looked at her sisters looking at her.

She took a breath, sighing. "I just.. keep thinking about that poor tortoise. Everywhere I look I'm reminded of him. The restaurant, the glasses shop, the pond. Everywhere!"

"Sooo, the turtle is haunting you?"

"Xanthe, I'm being serious!"

"As am I." she acted. "You keep thinking about this turtle-." 

"Tortoise!" she quickly corrected her.

"_Tor_toise. You keep thinking about this tortoise. Well, what are you even going to do about it? He belongs to the aquarium."

"I don't really know.."

"And that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Xanthe." Blanca looked at her.

"What? I'm just being real, Blanca. That turt-tsk.._tortoise_ is aaall the way back at the aquarium. What are we going to do? Do another break in and take it and release it out into the wild?"

Nila hadn't thought about that.. Then she let the idea brew for a second. She opened her mouth to agree with Xanthe-

"No, I didn't say that." Nila frowned at Blanca's response. "But there must be another way to go about this."

"Wow, Blanca. You're starting to sound like Taffy." snarked Seren. That was unlike her.

Xanthe was shocked, but Blanca didn't think anything of it. "Yeah, well, at least _she_ usually knows that to do."

Nila was about to speak back up, when Blanca spoke up again. "But I'm honestly not sure what she would say about this one. Whether I "sound" like her or not."

"_Anyway_." said Xanthe. "I'm still not sure what we could do."

Nila gave up on saying anything as they continued their walk.

Seren was too occupied at the squirrels to worry about Nila's feelings. She ran towards them and the three squirrels quickly scurried up the tree.

"Hey, hey, hey! Seren! Over here." Seren was chittering at them. She turned to look back at Xanthe. "Quit it with the act already. We're almost at the hotel.. Try to act right." 

Seren couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed at Xanthe ordering her around.. She ALWAYS ordered her around.. She got up, but didn't start walking with them.

"Seren, come on"

"Whatever, Xanthe." she rolled her eyes. "_I'll_ go when I _feel_ like it." she hissed out.

Xanthe stopped and turned back around. "What is going on with you."

"Xanthe, obviously something is going on with Seren, she's obviously in one of her little moods."

"But she's never been this rude or snarky.." she whispered to Blanca. "Especially not with me.. she knows better."

"Well maybe she's finally challenging you." she teased.

"Pffftt.. yeah, right." Xanthe turned back around. The hotel was just a few more blocks down.

Seren waited until she couldn't see them anymore before she started _slowly_ making her way down the sidewalk.


	5. Chapter five

Two blocks down and Blanca looked back and Xanthe did the same. Seren stopped in her tracks and crouched down behind a tree. She took her face and rubbed it against the bark.

"Looks like she still doesn't want to walk with us." said Blanca. She turned back around.

"And it looks like that she's still smelling stuff."

"Scenting, Xanthe. There's a difference. She was smelling the bike. This time she was putting her scent on the tree."

"Okay, she's taking this cat thing way too seriously. Like waaay too seriously now. Where will she draw the line?" 

Blanca made a small giggle. "Watch. She's going to end up following you to the bathroom."

"She better not!"

Blanca laughed.

Seren watched as her sisters disappeared in the distance once more. She rubbed her mouth along the bark one more time and got up, following them up the path again.

A few more blocks down and they were nearing the hotel. They were just about to go through the revolving doors when a young girl with a girl scout uniform and curly brown hair started skipping up to them. "Awrite lasses! Guid eenin! Hou's aw wi ye?" she said in a Scottish accent.

"Oh no.." Xanthe groaned.

The girl jumped in front of them. "Fancy some chocolates? Our class is tryin te earn enuff money fer our trip ta Scotland."

"We don't want any." Xanthe took one step and was stopped by Blanca grabbing her arm.

"What kind of chocolates?" Nila asked her.

"Chocolate turtles of course!" she opened the box.

Nila gasped and her sisters looked at her.

"Speechless, aye? Ye! The best o' da best!" she waved the box around. "And just ONE box costs-"

"I don't want your chocolate anymore." she said lowly.

"..What? But ye-"

"I didn't know. That you were selling chocolate turtles." she glared at the girl. "And frankly speaking, I think you're just faking that accent." she stormed into the revolver doors.

The girl stood there, aghast. Mouth wide open in shock. The box still wide open in her hands as she watched Nila walk into the lobby.

"Wow, Nila." Xanthe snorted, following Nila inside.

"I'm sorry. She's just having a _really_ bad day. This isn't like her." Blanca told the girl. "She's actually a really sweet person.. She can just get very emotional.." the girl managed to close her mouth. The box of chocolates closing shortly after. "So." Blanca nodded. "Carry on with your business. You're.." she just thought of anything to say to the girl. "Doing great." she gave her a thumbs up before going through the revolving doors.

The girl stood there just as another girl scouter ran up to her. "What just happened back there?"

"Eh." the girl shrugged. "The blue one saw right through our scam." she said in a midwestern accent.

"Oof.."

Seren watched as the girls walked away from the hotel doors. Then one of them happened to spot her while crossing the parking lot. "Hey, is that a cat?"

"Awww, come here, kitty, kitty, kitty." her friend cooed, crouching down and wiggling a beckoning finger at her.

Seren ignored them and started clawing the ground underneath of her. Then she stopped and looked at them, darting behind a tree. She laid down, eyeing the two strangers with dilated eyes.

"Oh well, pffft. Forget you too then." said the first girl. The two of them walked off and Seren waited until they were out of sight before running on all fours across the lawn. She stopped and looked back. The girls were long gone. She looked at the revolving doors. _What is that thing..?_ She couldn't remember what it was. Or how to use it.. But she did know that her face needed a washing. And right there, on the lawn, was the perfect spot. She brought a paw up to her face and licked the back of it, then started grooming one of her ears.

...

Xanthe turned from the window, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her eyes clenched. "Okay, PLEASE tell me Seren isn't out there bathing herself. With her paw."

"What?!" Blanca got up from her chair.

Xanthe made an exasperated sigh. "She. Is out there. Right now. Cleaning her face. With her paw."

"Oh.." Blanca calmed down. "You really need to watch how you word things."

"Huh?"

Nila sat back down with them. Damp tissue still in her hands. She dabbed at the last few tears in her eyes.

Behind them, outside, Seren was licking her arm. Then she went for the other arm, biting her sleeve down to lick her other arm when suddenly four sprinklers sprouted from the ground around her. She stopped just at her elbow and looked at them. Nothing happened. And she continued licking the other arm.

The sprinklers started spraying out water, scaring Seren on to her four feet. She hissed and ran a few feet then stopped. "Huh?" she looked at her two front paws. "Why.. wait.. Was I running on all fours just now?" she got up and walked through the revolving doors, immediately realizing how packed the hotel was for some reason.

"Ah, well look who's back from the wild." said Xanthe.

"That's where I was? Wait. Noooo I wasn't. Don't be silly, Xanthe. I was just out there on the lawn." she pointed behind her. She plopped down beside Blanca. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked her.

"Yeah, never better. Why you ask?" she swung her feet up and down over the edge of the couch.

"Nothing. You just seemed to be in a bad mood."

"Really, when?"

"Not too long ago. You got smart with Xanthe and then you wouldn't even walk with us after that."

"WHAT?! REALLY?!" she turned to her sister. "Xanthe, I am SO sorry! I didn't even know I did that. I.. can't really remember too much after we started talking about the torto-"

Xanthe cleared her throat and started pointing her chin at Nila. She used a cut neck motion with her finger and shook her head. Thankfully, Seren got the memo. "Oh.." she nodded. "Well, I can't really remember what happened before I found myself at the sprinklers."

Blanca looked at Xanthe, then back at Seren who had a worried look on her face. "You really.. don't know?"

Seren shook her head.

"I still think she's acting." Xanthe grumbled.

"I'm not. Honest." she whined.

"Okay, Seren. You need to relax. You're going to have to _really_ try and shape shift back. I think you.. somehow shape shifted your mental state too."

"Too bad she can't shape shift her mind to being more mature."

"Hey!"

"Xanthe, stop." she turned to Seren. "Okay. You'll just have to focus just a tad bit more." she placed her hands on Seren's shoulders. "You can do this."

"Y.. Yeah. I can do this. I.. CAN!" she smiled up at her older sister.

Blanca let go of her shoulders. "Now show us. You got this."

Seren nodded and just as she was about to try again, a group of teens started walking through the revolving doors. White, thin square boxes were piled high in their hands with bags in their other hand. "We're here!" shouted one hybrid guy. "Sorry we're late. We ran into a bit of traffic."

A tall, built guy greeted them at the doors. "Don't worry. We haven't even finished setting up the projector yet. Y'all are fine." The guy pointed them to three long tables in the lobby and they all started offloading the food.

"Okay, so they _must_ be holding something here tonight." said Seren.

Xanthe pointed at the board behind her. **Movie night!! w/ Pizza and Fries!! ONLY FOR HOTEL RESIDENTS!**

Seren gasped and turned back around and started jumping up and down on the couch. "I'm a hotel resident!! I want some of that pizza!" she jumped and Blanca grabbed her, holding her up under her arms like Nila did earlier. "Whaaaat?" she frowned.

"We really need to get you to shape shift back. The pizza can wait."

"But what if I end up missing the pizza?" she whined.

"Seren, the pizza isn't going anywhere. They're still bringing in boxes."

They watched as more delivery guys walked into the building with boxes and bags in their hands.

"Oh, alriiiiight. I'll try.." she drifted off.. "I'll." she said again._Why did she hate being held all of a sudden?.. _ "Blanca, you have to let me down first!" she wiggled in her hands and Blanca set her down. "You could've just asked nicely, you know." 

"Yeah, well. Either way you put me down." 

Xanthe looked right at Blanca. The girl sporting her plain, unreadable expression on her face. She leaned up with her arms crossed. "So, are you going to try to shape shift back or what?"

"HA! Like I'm going to do that now. I told you I want pizza and that's what I'm going to get." she pointed at her. "No, scratch that. I'll get fries first THEN pizza. Just the way I like it." she marched off..and toddled towards the crowd of people filling up their plates.

Blanca turned her head, making a mistake of making eye contact with Xanthe. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"Look, any other time, I would've said something to her. BUT, it doesn't seem like she's really.. _her_. I honestly think that it has something to do with her shape shifting power."

"Riiight, so you say, Blanca." Xanthe started to walk away. "You know, if I didn't know you any better, I would say that you've gotten soft-."_SMACK_ "OWCH!!" she turned back around, rubbing her neck. Blanca was a few feet away from her. She turned slightly to see a ficus plant beside her. The branch bending back into place.

"Did you just.. SWAT me in the back of my neck.. with a tree branch?!

"It's called phytokinese, Xanthe. Get with the program, will ya?"

"What _can't_ you do.." Xanthe mumbled.

Seren came walking back. "Eh, I'll just wait until the line goes down. I don't like it when there's so many people." _Yeah, the real Seren would've never said that. _ Blanca thought.

"Well you do that." said Xanthe. "I guess I'll use this time to use the bathroom and wash my hands."

"Oh, I'll go with you!" said Seren. 

And there was a snort from Blanca and Xanthe glared at her before looking back at Seren. _She better not.._

Xanthe walked towards the restrooms and Seren followed, bouncing behind her. 

"Told her that was going to happen." she told Nila.

"Uh huh.." the girl said back to her. Then she got up slowly. "I guess I'll go wash my hands before I eat as well.."

Blanca didn't know what to say to Nila exactly. She wasn't the best with words, unlike Seren or even Nila herself and Seren was currently out of commission so.. "Okay.. Well, I'll be here saving everyone's seat." she said to Nila. She watched as more servers entered the building.

Then, that same familiar guy from that morning entered behind them, holding up four pizza boxes. Blanca watched him as he placed the boxes on another table they had just set out near the large, projector screen. What was it about that guy? ..She couldn't put her finger on it.. She ignored the feeling and looked away.

....

Xanthe pushed open the stall and turned around to close it "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!" she stopped Seren.

"Uh, what does it look like I'm doing? I'm keeping guard. Duh."

"Seren. You're _not_ coming in with me. Now move. If _you_ have to go, then _you_ go. In _another_ stall."

"I don't have to go, but fiiiiine. Whatever. I'll just step out." She backed away. "But I STILL don't see what the big deal is.."

Xanthe didn't answer her, closing the door in her face. Seren kept her spot, right by the door.

"Seren, do you _have_ to be so close?!"

"Yes. Yes I do actually."

Xanthe sighed.

....

Seren followed Xanthe to the sink just as Nila was drying her hands. Xanthe was washing her hands and Seren just stood there.

"You're not going to wash your hands, Seren?" Nila asked her.

"Oh, I didn't use the bathroom, so I don't need to."

"But, you're about to eat."

"..Your point?"

"Seren, just wash your hands." said Xanthe.

"No! No water!" she hissed and ran out the bathroom.

"That gem.." Xanthe shook her head.


	6. Chapter six

.....

Seren hid within the crowd, looking out for Nila and Xanthe. The two were leaving out the restroom. She ducked down and ran underneath of the table, watching their feet from underneath of the cloth as they approached the table. 

Xanthe picked up two paper plates, handing one of them to Nila. "Looks like this table only has fries." said Xanthe. She picked up the tongs and piled some fries on her plate. Then she looked back. "And looks like the pizza table is still swarmed with people. Guess I'll get some later." 

Nila only nodded. She piled a little bit of fries on her plate and walked away. "..You don't want any ketchup?!!" Xanthe held the bottle up. Nila didn't look back.

"How can you still be so upset.." Xanthe mumbled under her breath. "It's just a turtle.. er, tortoise, whatever." she squirt some ketchup in the corner if the plate and sprinkled some salt and pepper on the fries before making her way towards her sisters.

Seren watched as the brown boots walked away from the table. She waited for a few moments before emerging from the table. She turned around and.. she couldn't see the food. The table towering over her. She frowned, growling.. Then she instantly got an idea. She backed up, bending her knees, getting into position for a pounce..aaaaand-

"Aw, you need some help there little girl?"

She stopped and looked up. An older lady with a gentle smile on her face was looking down at her. Her back bent down to her level.

"Pfft, nah, I'm good Grandma, I don't need your help."

"Oh!" the lady was stunned.

Seren bent her legs and pounced on top of the table, stepping on some of the fries in the process. The people at the table were protesting.

"Oh my! Well I NEVER!" the lady huffed and marched away.

"Okay, okay. So I stepped on a little bit of fries. So what?" she shook her foot and the mashed up fries flung around, some falling into some people's plates.

Seren picked up a paper plate and started digging her hands inside one of the fry containers.

"How was she raised?!" one lady hissed out as she watched Seren pile fries on her plate, lick her paw of the grease, then grabbing some more fries. A couple fries fell back into the pan.

Seren hopped off the table, sticking the landing, with the plate held tightly in her paws. She toddled towards the table and sat the plate down. Blanca had her chin propped up on her hand as she relaxed her arm on the arm rest of the couch. Xanthe was stuffing her face with the fries and Nila was eating her fries slowly one by one, chewing numbly on them.

"Ah, time to dig in!" Seren licked her lips and started eating off the plate. Her sisters stared at her and she felt all of the eyes on her. She lifted her head up, pieces of fries stuck on her whiskers. "What?"

"..So you're going to eat like a cat too." Blanca observed. She was really getting a bad feeling about all of this.

Nila actually cracked a smile and chortled. "She's still in character. How cute."

Seren only shrugged and went back to her food.

Nila chuckled some more. Xanthe didn't care much for Seren's act, but if it made Nila laugh, then that was more than enough for her. She stuffed more fries in her mouth.

Just a few minutes later and Seren lifted her head up, looking down at her plate. _Empty_ She turned around. "Hey." she pawed at Xanthe's pant leg. "Hey."

"Who's.." she moved her plate, looking down. "What do you want, Seren?" 

"Food bowl empty. Feed me." she said simply.

"What?" she looked at Seren's plate. Fries were along the edges of the plate, but she'd eaten everything in the middle, apparently brushing the fries at the edges of the plate in the process. "Um.. you still have food." she pointed.

"No I don't." she shook her head and pointed at the empty spot on her plate. "Empty. Feed me. Now." she demanded.

Nila nearly choked on her fry as she started laughing. She cleared her throat and continued laughing.

"Seren. I'm not playing with you anymore. The food is RIGHT there. On your plate." said Xanthe.

"No! It is NOT."

"Seren-"

"Oh, for crying out-" Blanca took the plate and shook the fries back in the middle. "See, Seren? Food." she pointed at the fries. Then she set the plate back on the table.

"Thanks, Blanca!" she stuck her tongue out at Xanthe and went to eating her food.

Another few minutes later and Seren was _ really_ finished with her food. She looked up from her plate, then towards Xanthe who was still eating her fries. "Hey." she pat her pant leg again. "Hey."

"Oh, no. Not this again."

"Feed me."

"Seren, you can just get your own." 

"Awww, come on Xanthe. Just give me some of your food instead."

"You're going too far with this, Seren."

"Come ooooon. Just give me a fryyyy." she tried grabbing the plate and Xanthe lifted the plate up. "Seren, stop it this instance.

Nila was enjoying the dinner and the show.

"Give me a fryyyyy." Seren jumped. "I want that one! That one in your hand with all of the ketchup on it!"

"No, it's mine. Get your own." she waved the plate in the air. The fry barely being held between her thumb and index finger.

"Come on, Xanthe. Sharing is caring!" 

Xanthe looked to her sisters, first at Blanca. She was unamused. Then at Nila, who was still giggling. "She has a point, Xanthe. Sharing _is_ indeed caring."

Xanthe smacked her teeth. "Fine. Here." she handed one of the ketchup smothered fries she'd saved for last to Seren. "Yay!" she jumped up and grabbed the fry out of Xanthe's finger, scratching her in the process.

"Watch the nails."

"Give me more." she demanded.

Sighing dramatically, Xanthe picked up another fry, giving it to Seren. The girl sat on her hind legs "Can you bring it closer to me?"

And other sigh from Xanthe as she did just that. Seren raised her head a bit and snatched the fry out of her hand with her teeth. Xanthe looked at Nila again. The girl beckoned her to give Seren another fry.

"Another." 

Xanthe took another fry and lowered it down to her. Seren balanced on her her back legs and started eating the fry from Xanthe's fingers.

"Aww, now she's eating out of your hand."

"Eh.." Xanthe grumbled. She scrapped the rest of the fries and put it in her hand, opening her hand up for Seren. She ate from her hand. Then she licked her palm. "Hey, no. We're not doing that." Xanthe held in a giggle.

Seren continued eating the fries from her hand. Xanthe turned to Nila again. "I guess this wasn't _too_ bad after all.. OWCH!" she withdrew her hand. "She bite me. With her mouth!"

"And _how_ else, could she had bitten you, Xanthe?" said Blanca.

"And relax, Xanthe. It's not that serious." said Nila. "Look at them widdle teefsies." she cooed.

"Whatever, feeding time is over." Xanthe got up and threw the plate away as Seren went towards Nila. She shook the plate, putting the fries in the middle and she placed the plate on the table. Seren went straight for it.

Nila laughed.

"We really need to get her to shape shift back.." she heard Blanca say.

Xanthe came back over, looking at her hand.

"Aww, you have a boo boo?" Nila asked, teasingly.

"Pfft. Yeah right." Xanthe dropped her hand to her side. Then Xanthe looked at Seren. "Aaaand she's eating your fries too." 

"I just couldn't wesist dat kewt widdle face." Nila reached her hand out and started petting behind Seren's ears. 

"Okay, am I the _only_ one who's getting weirded out by this?" Xanthe sat back down.

Blanca nodded at that.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen!" said the guy from earlier. 

Three of the sisters looked up.

"The projector is now set up. Time for the movie!" he stepped out from in front of the screen. "Ladies and gentlemen. We're taking this back to the early two thousands."

The screen came on to the home screen of the movie. Parts of the movie displaying above the options.

A guy was wearing a round, green suit jacket reassembling that of a turtle shell. He was talking amongst some guys. "Am I not too _turtle-y_ enough for the _turtle_ club."

Nila gasped. 

_Uh oh.._ Xanthe got up. "Nila."

"He's everywhere!" Nila shouted out and Seren jumped at the sound of her voice, quickly scurrying under the table and everyone started looking at her. Her aura spread throughout the hotel as she ran up the stairs, not bothering to take the elevator up to her floor. 

Blanca ran after her and Xanthe trudged through the stairs after the two. Seren kept shaking her head of the tears.

All of the gems and hybrids collapsed on the ground, crying. "Not agaaaain!!" shouted out one gem.


	7. Chapter seven

....

Nila swiped her key and ran into the room. The door closed back with a loud click.

"Nila. Come on, Nila. Open up." Blanca knocked on the door. 

Xanthe came running up the stairs. Tears still at the corner of her eyes.

"Nila." she knocked on the door. "Come on, Nila. Let us in."

"Do you see what I mean!" her voice sounded far away from the door. "It seems like I just can't escape him." she cried.

Seren caught up to them. She hid just behind the wall on the second to last stair, peeking out just behind the edge of the wall.

"Perhaps these things are just coincidences." said Blanca.

There was silence on the other end.

"Nila?"

Silence.

Blanca grew out her thumb nail and summoned a bit of electricity around the nail. She slid her nail down the card slot and the door click. She twisted the handle and opened the door. Xanthe's eyebrows flew up. "You can do that with electricity too?!" 

"Yes, but there's a certain voltage that you have to do to get it just right." she walked into the room. Xanthe walked in behind her and Seren pounced from her spot and darted towards the door. She barely caught it with her paw and she pushed the door back, sliding her face through the crack, then her body and her tail. The door closed behind her.

Nila was under the covers, sniffling.

Blanca walked to the front of the bed and Nila pulled the blanket over her head. "Nila, come from underneath of there." she pealed the blanket back. "You know that this could very well be coincidences."

Nila didn't want to hear that.. But what if it was the truth?

Xanthe sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I agree with Blanca. I think that these just so _happened_ to had came about toda y after you found out about the turt-tortoise. Maybe there were always tortoise references before that we didn't notice because it was never brought to our attention."

Nila sat up, the blankets falling from her. Xanthe turned around to see Nila staring daggers at her. The former turned back around. She cleared her throat.

Silence fell in the room, say for the clicking sound of something Seren had in her mouth.

"Seren, what do you have there?" Xanthe got up, using that as an excuse to get up and away from Nila's glare.

Seren had the hotel phone in her mouth. "Hey! Gimme that!" Xanthe reached out and Seren zipped underneath of the bed. The cord dragging from the receiver and down under the bed. There was more clicking as Seren continued to bite and paw at the phone. "This. Needs. To end.." Xanthe said to Seren. The girl looked at Xanthe for a few moments before biting on the phone again, ignoring her. "Uuuuuhhg." Xanthe slid from underneath of the bed and turned to lean back on it.

"..If there's another way to help him?" Xanthe heard Nila say to Blanca.

"Perhaps calling someone would be better. They would know how to go about this better than us." said Blanca.

"You know, I think there's a number on one of those flyer, pamphlet things that they handed us." Xanthe joined in on the conversation.

"Really?! It's in my bag!" Nila jumped off the bed and that spooked Seren. She looked up at the springs above her for a few seconds before going right back to the phone in front of her.

Nila opened her book bag and sifted through her stuff. She pulled out the flyer and skimmed it. "Yeah, it's on here!" she smiled and wiped her face.

"I wonder if you can call from a hotel phone." said Xanthe.

"I can always try. Where's the..." her face dropped. "Seren.." 

"Yup, I think she still has it. Hey! What the!" Xanthe drew back her hand and looked down to see Seren's paws under the bed behind her. She threw her paw forward again, trying to get Xanthe's hand again. "Hey! Stop it!" Xanthe got up and Seren ran to the edge underneath. She stuck her head out, the bottom of the bedspread falling on her ears.

"That's a _bad_ Seren." Xanthe looked at her. Seren backed up, back under the bed.

There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Xanthe asked.

"It's the pizza guy. Someone ordered pizza.. on speed dial."

Xanthe cut her eye at Seren who was now coming back out from under the bed. The phone still in her mouth, and her teeth still clicking on the buttons. "..Of course.." Xanthe walked to the door.

"Didn't someone order pizza?" the guy asked.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." said Xanthe. She opened the door and the guy with the freckles held the pizza up for her. Blanca felt a ping of something. Like a "heart" skip. But she didn't have one.. She just assumed that's how it felt. "Here you go ma'am." he gave a business-like smile at Xanthe.

She hesitated, mid grab. "Do we have to pay you for this?"

"Nope, it's free-OW!" they both looked down. Seren was playing with the teen's pant leg and had bit his ankle. "Is that a.. cat? ..ish?" he held his leg up, rubbing his ankle.

"No, no." Xanthe held her foot up to block Seren from the hallway, keeping her just behind the frame of the door. Seren backed up and eyed Xanthe's leg. Then she looked up at her in a head tilt. "She's.. my little sister.. who's still getting used to her shape shifting powers." she said to him, still moving her leg up and down to block Seren from getting out.

"Oh, well hello there." he placed his leg back down gently. 

Seren purred in response. 

"Huh?"

"Please excuse her she's.. just _really_ into character right now." 

"That's okay." he chuckled. "Well, here you go." he handed her the box. "It's a lot of pizza. Not sure if you two would be able to finish it all." he joked.

Seren ran back inside- "There's another person in the room who eats pizza." said Xanthe. -And there was a crash and a "Ooo, Xanthe isn't going to like that, Seren." from Nila.

The guy looked behind her and waved. "Hey."

Nila gave him a small wave back without a smile and Blanca had her head turned, ignoring him.

"Wow. Lively crew." he joked again.

"You have no idea.." Xanthe mumbled. "Well. See ya." she said bluntly and closed the door slowly to a close. She turned around. "Okay, so Seren here was ever so kind to order pizza for us." she held the box up. 

Seren ran up to her legs, meowing. "Seren, move from my legs before I trip over you." Seren continued to run around Xanthe's legs, meowing loud and looking up at the box in her hand. "Seren!"

Nila couldn't help but giggle just a bit at the two again. Xanthe carefully navigated around the room and put the pizza box on the bed by Nila. 

Seren jumped on the bed to sniff the box and Xanthe shooed her off. Nila laughed some more. "She just want some pizza, Xanthe."

"Until she can shape shift back, she won't be getting any pizza." Xanthe took a slice and sat down beside Nila. 

"Xanthe, that sounds a little harsh." said Nila.

"But at least Xanthe has a point. Seren isn't even talking anymore. It's just getting worse." Blanca said from the chair.

Xanthe was about to take a bite out of her pizza, but stopped. "I told you two that this was getting out of hand from the moment Seren was playing with the streamers on that bike. But nooooo. Everyone thought it was soooo funny and cute." Seren poked her head up, looking just over the edge of the bed and at the pizza in Xanthe's hand.

"Yes, but that was before it progressed to what it is now." said Blanca.

Xanthe was about to take a bite out of the pizza again, but stopped.. again. "Exactly. It didn't_ have_ to come to that point, but nobody didn't see anything wrong with her at that point. But now look where we are now." Seren jumped on the bed and swiped the pizza out of Xanthe's hand with her mouth and ran back under the bed. "AND SHE JUST TOOK MY SLICE OF PZZA!!" Xanthe slid across the bed and lifted up the skirt of the bed, looking at Seren upside down. "Seren!" 

The girl hissed at her, the hair on her head and tail a frizzy poof.

"Xanthe, just leave her. We'll think of something. Just, get another slice." said Blanca.

Xanthe glared at Seren one last time before dropping the skirt back down. She slid back up to a sitting position and opened the box up again. "Did you want one, Nila?"

"What's on it?"

Xanthe pulled a slice from the box, examining the pizza. "Chicken, mushroom.. green peppers.. and tomatoes." 

Nila eyed the pizza in Xanthe's hand and then she got up and backed away. The temperature dropped as tears formed out her eyes.

"What? What's wrong now, Nila?" Xanthe fanned the pizza in the air.

Nila sniffed. "That's Donatello's favorite type of pizza!" Her aura spreed throughout the room.

"..Who..?" Xanthe strained out. 

"He's a turtle in a half shell!" she cried and ran out the room.

"Xanthe, just put the pizza back." said Blanca. She ran after her.

Seren poked her head out from the bed with sauce on her face. She licked her nose and Xanthe threw the pizza on the floor. Seren backed up, realized that it was food and took it and went back under the bed.


	8. Chapter eight

...

Nila was about to head back down the stairs when Sterling was coming up the stairs. "Ah, Nila! We were looking for you and your sisters!" he smiled. "I just bought a sweet sweater! And I would love to get everyone's take on it! Taffy here thinks it's too flashy looking." he unzipped his trench coat revealing a bright green, turtleneck sweater. "BEHOLD!"

Nila's mouth dropped.

"Eh? Eh? Now is it cool or is it cool?" he posed.

Nila burst out crying again as she turned around and ran pass Blanca and Xanthe and down the hall, in front of her door.

"Wow, is my sweater that bad?"

"Honey." she warned him. "She was really crying." Taffy barged on pass him up the rest of the steps.

"Nila, sweety." she met her at the door. Nila was crouched down with her head in her hands. She crouched down to her level. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it was horrible, Taffy." she said in her hands. "It's this tortoise, who's really bad off in the aquarium. He has graffiti all over his shell, the water is dirty, majority of the plants and the grass is brown, and this boy threw something at him. And he didn't even do anything! He just sat there." Nila cried more in her hands.

"Mm." The whole air around Taffy seemed to be stilled. Serious crept into her voice. "It looks to me that we'll have to give them a few calls. Right to the corporate office. With a trip to the department too." she went straight to the point.

Nila lifted her head up. "Really?"

Taffy looked right into her eyes. "I was hoping that they would've taken better care of the animals there. But." she straightened up. "Looks like I was sadly mistaken."

"I was.. actually thinking about calling the aquarium too."

Taffy shook her head. "I'm not talking about their puny little office in the aquarium. I'm talking about the _corporate_ office. That will allow for more than one aquarium to undergo some major changes rather than just the one in Beach City." 

"That can actually happen?!"

Taffy got up, helping Nila up in the process. "Of course. And, I don't mean to brag, but. Both Sterling _and_ I know a lot of higher ups who can make the process even faster-."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Nila gave her a huge hug. She returned the hug. "Of course." she told her. "It's no problem at all."

They heard someone clear their throat and they looked up. "Soo.. does that mean, you _weren't_ crying because of how my sweater looked?"

Nila managed a little chuckle.

"Sterling, please, with the sweater already."

"Whaaaat? I was just aaaasking. I might just buy all of us some turtlenecks-"

Blanca suppressed a laugh. Xanthe in a turtleneck? That was like trying to put an electric porcupine in a blanket burrito.

The five of them heard some scratching by Nila's door and turned to see Seren's paws underneath of the door. She plucked the bottom of the door a few times before her paws disappeared back under.

"Nila." she turned to her. "Are you harboring a cat in your room? You know what I said about pets earlier and the responsibilities of having one.."

Nila shook her head. "It's Seren. She tried to shape shift and ended up shape shifting into a cat but... We think she may have went a little too far with it.. She's acting too much like a cat." Nila took out her card and swiped it through the slot. There was a click and Nila opened the door slowly, but Seren bolted out the door, jumping over her foot. 

"That's not good." said Sterling. "She's gone full cat mode." how he said it made it seem like he was going for a joke.

"I've seen this plenty of times." said Taffy, unphased by it. "She just went a tad bit overbored with it like Nila said. The first thing we need to do is get her to snap out of the trance first before we get her to successfully shape shift back." she walked over to Seren and she hissed at her, running pass her and down the hall. "Alright now." she said softly, walking towards her again. "No need to be afraid. It's me."

Seren hissed again just as Taffy got close to her. She ran the other way, back down the hall. Blanca raised her hand and a small white bubble formed around Seren. She stopped and looked around confused at the now white scenery in front of her. She turned around and around, not sure where to go. Blanca picked up the white bubble, Seren scratching at it, trying to get out. "Here you go." she handed the bubble to Taffy. 

"Impressive, Blanca. Thank you." 

Xanthe folded her arms. "I could've done that too.." she mumbled.

"Okay, now we just have to figure out what could get her out of this trance." said Taffy.

"Uh, someone's calling me." Sterling digged into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Yes?" everyone looked at him and he raised a finger, walking away from them. "Yes, we're..." his conversation trailed off as he went further away from them.

"This should be easy. There are a number of ways to figure out how to get her out of it." said Taffy, looking at Seren frantically running around in the bubble. 

"The obvious one would be to see how she reacts to water. That's usually one of the ways to snap one out of a cat trance."

"Sorry to interrupt, but." everyone turned back to Sterling again. "Looks like we're needed again."

"They can wait. We have to stay and help Seren." 

"What do you want me to tell her then? According to her it's a "tectonic emergency"." 

"You mean, Empire City?" 

He nodded.

The three were tying to listen into their short, secretive conversation.

Taffy ruffled her hair. "Then.. I'm afraid we have no choice but _to_ go." then she looked at Seren, then to the others. "I'm afraid that we have to leave for this one." she told them. "We'll try to get here as quick as possible. Staying shape shifted like this could be dire." 

"But what are we going to do with Seren?" Nila asked. "I wouldn't want to keep her in a bubble.."

Taffy popped it and held Seren by the scruff of her neck. The girl laying still in her hands and quiet. "Just keep her under wraps until we come back." she handed her to Nila and Seren immediately started squirming around. "Seren, just try to stay calm." Seren only hissed as she stated at Taffy. 

"Yes, we definitely have to be quick. Come on, Sterling." the two left to their room.

Seren seemed to calm down once the two were out of sight. 

"So now what?" Xanthe asked, looking at Seren.

Blanca broke away from the group, walking back to her door.

"You heard Taffy. We just have to keep her under wraps. Oh-NO, Seren!" the girl had jumped from Nila's arms.

"Looks like we have to get her again. Blanca can just use her, "oh so amazing, bubble thing." Xanthe mocked.

"But I don't want her to be put in a bubble." said Nila.

"Ha! Well, good luck with catching her then." Blanca opened the door and Seren ran inside. "NO! NOOO, NO, NO! SEREN, OUT OF MY ROOM!" she ran in. "Come here you.. NO she just ran under the bed!" 

Xanthe and Nila had a nice laugh at that. "Looks like you'll be the one babysitting, Blanca!" Xanthe shouted into the room." 

"Ooooh, don't you pat your paws at me! Seren!" they heard Blanca shout and Xanthe closed the door. "Well, now that Seren's under wraps, I'm going back to my room." she told Nila. "I guess I'll do the same." she tried to dismiss the thought of the tortoise. "Night."

"Night." Xanthe waved back.


	9. Chapter nine

.....

A couple hours later and Nila was still thinking about the turtle. She turned the t.v off, the channel having went on a topic from trouts to tortoises and the differences between them and turtles. 

She looked at the remote in her hand. The object seemed to morph into a tortoise She blinked her eyes. The remote laid unformed in her hands. She sighed and put it on the table and laid down on her side, looking at the floor. The diamond shaped patterns seemed to morph into small tortoise shaped patterns and she sat back up, looking up at the plain, white ceiling. That even seamed to morph into one big tortoise the longer she looked up at the faint material of the ceiling. She laid back down on her side, closing her eyes. "Don't worry, Nila. Taffy said she was going to call.. Everything is going to be alright." she told herself.

_But what if she forgets?_ Nila shook her head. "No..She wouldn't forget." she told herself. _But if she does call.. What would happen to the tortoise? Will they release him out into the wild? Will they just take him to another aquarium? And who's to say that they would take better care of him? Even_ if_corporate is involved.. But what if he actually does go to a better aquarium?_ She tried to think happy thoughts. _Or what if he doesn't me it overnight. _ She sat up. _What if tonight's the only night I can save him?_ Tears started streaming down her face.

....

Xanthe was sitting in bed, eating a slice of pizza she'd gotten from Nila's room earlier. Her eyes were glued to the t.v as she watched a rerun of the final of Las lágrimas de pelucas y amor. (The tears of wigs and love).

_Mi corazón. No quise hacer esto... Sabes que te amo. (My love. I didn't mean to do this... You know I love you.)_

_The woman cried more, her head resting on the couch, the rest of her body on the floor. "No.." she choked out. "Lo supiste todo este tiempo.. (You knew about this all along..)"_

_"Mi corazón. Aún deberías venir conmigo. Te necesito en mi vida. Solo tú aprecias mi cabello calvo." (My love. You should still come with me. I need you in my life. Only you appreciate my balding hair.)_

_"No.." she cried pathetically. "¡Ya no! ¡Se acabó entre tú y yo! " (Not anymore! It is over between you and I!)_

_He gasped in Spanish. "Mi corazón.."_

_"¡Sí! haberse casado con otra persona. (Yes! I have married someone else.) _

Xanthe chewed on her pizza. Both the pizza and the show getting good. A piece of green pepper fell on her shirt and she picked it up and ate it, her eyes still glued to the screen in front of her.

_"No.. no me digas.."_

_She got up. A fierce look on her face. Her mascara running down her face and lipstick smeared across her lips. "¡Sí! ¡Es Alejandro García Guapo Con Poco Pelo Romero!"_

Xanthe nearly choked on her pizza. "No way!"

_"¡No!" the guy shouted_

_"¡Sí!" the woman shouted at him. A short, muscular guy walked in. He sported just one tuff of hair in the middle of his head. She kissed his cheek. "¡No le importa su cabello calvo! ¡No necesita tupees y mi gemela ya ha quemado todos los _tuyos!_ (He doesn't care about his balding hair! He doesn't need tupees and my twin has already burned all of _yours."

_The guy fell down on his knees. "Nooooooo!!!!!!!!"_

The show went straight to the credits.

"That can't be it!!" Xanthe shouted. "But.. but what about her twin?! What happened to her after she bailed the nephew out!!" Xanthe felt.. overwhelmed. She started tearing up. "And then there's the children that were at the Aunt's wedding! What happened to them!?" she sniffled. "And why am I so.." then she thought about it, quickly turning her head to the door. "Oh no... No me digas.." she said to herself.

She watched and watched and watched the bottom of the door... Until she saw a shadow of footsteps sliding by. It stopped right by Xanthe's door. "...No me digas.." she said to herself again. She wiped a tear from her face just as another rolled down her cheek.

The shadow paused at the door. And Xanthe slowly set her pizza down. The figure stood there for a few moments.. Then there was a knock. 

Xanthe sighed and slid off the bed, slowly making her way to the door. She raised her hand up, slowly reaching for the knob, trying to mentally prepare herself.. More tears fell from her face. She opened the door just a crack and Nila dove in, crashing into her in a hug. "Xanthe! We have to save the tortoise!" she cried in her ear.

"Nila." Xanthe held herself on the wall, trying to keep herself from falling into the floor. 

"You have to help me set him free!"

"Okay, okay! Just.. stop with the crying!" she said through her teeth.

Nila sniffled. "You'll help me?!"

"Yes, yes. But please." she wiped her cheek. "With the aura."

"Oh..Sorry.." she let go of Xanthe and wiped at her eye.

.......

Blanca was busy mediating. She was inside of a realm she would always go into to look back and try to decipher her memories or to just relax her mind (or as close to "relaxing" she could get it to).

She was outside of her body, sitting beside it. She sat there in silence. Her eyes closed. Silence. This particular time, she'd shun off the memories she was looking at earlier and now she was trying to take it all in. Trying to figure out what that last memory from just a few minutes ago of her waiting inside a white room with white glowing gems and that boy in front of her meant. She was angry at them. But why? Silence. She breathed in and out. The breathing technique seemed to work for her extremely well. She did it again. Silence. Why were the glowing gems so puppet-like and smiling? And what was the little boy about to say to her?, her memory stopping at "You're wrong. Please, just listen to me!" Another deep breath. Silen-_scratch, scratch, scratch, tear._ Blanca ignored it. Trying to stay focus. Another breath. _Tear, tear, riiiiip. Scratch, scratch, riiiiip._ Blanca scrunched up her face, trying to refocus. "You're wrong. Please, just listen to me!" and then what? What was that boy going to say?! This was the second time she'd saw him.. Who was he? _Riiiiip, thump, scratch, scratch, scratch._ Blanca sighed angrily. She opened her eyes to the white atmosphere around her. Her other self had her arms out. She turned and grabbed them, walking back into her body..

_Teaaaaar, scratch, scratch._ Blanca put her arms down and opened her eyes. She looked around her room. Toilet tissue was scattered all around the room. All on the floor, all on the bed. Everywhere. "Sereeeeen!" she marched into the bathroom and Seren was taking out another roll from the bottom cabinet of the sink. The roll in shreds by her paws. Pieces of tissue was in her mouth and some were stuck on top of her head. 

"Looook at all this mess!" 

Seren bolted out the door, right through Blanca's legs and back under the bed. 

"This.. is going to be.. a long.. night.." 

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"Xanthe and Nila." said Xanthe. "Open up."

Blanca opened the door. "Did you really have to say your name?" 

"Yes."

"Okay. So." she looked at the two. They had changed out of their uniform. And Xanthe had a backpack on her back. "You two are here.. because?"

"We're going to rescue the tortoise." said Nila. "You want in?"

"Or is it "wrooooong." " Xanthe mocked her from earlier.

"While that is.." said Blanca. "I do agree with Nila. So, I'll help her out."

"What?! But you didn't help _me_ out with the car."

She raised her left hand up with her right hand down. "Baseball game." Then she raised her right hand up and put her left hand down. "Saving a poor, defenseless tortoise."

Xanthe frowned. 

"Now, let me just go get Seren." she walked back inside.

"Whoaaho! Look at your room!" Xanthe laughed. "Looks like she was having a lot of fun."

"A bit _too_much fun."

"How did you even let it get this out of hand?"

"I was too busy meditating.

Xanthe snorted. "Of course."

"Seren. Get from under the bed." Blanca looked at a pair of glowing eyes. "Get._out._ Out from under the bed!"

"Maybe we can lure her out with pizza." Nila left the room. "And get a glass of water!" Blanca shouted. "Okay!"

"A glass of? Oh, to throw on Seren." Xanthe nodded at her own answer.

Nila came back with a slice of pizza in one hand and a cup of water in the other. She handed Blanca the cup. "I didn't know how much you wanted"

"This should be enough." she stepped out of the way and Nila crouched down in front of the bed. "Come here, Seren. I have pizza. Ksksksksks." 

Seren slowly made her way towards Nila and Nila backed up slowly. "She's coming out."

Seren slowly walked from under the bed and sniffed the pizza in Nila's hand. Then she bite into it. Blanca tiptoed towards her, then threw the water on her. Seren hissed and shook her head. "Did it work?" Xanthe asked from behind them.

Seren looked at the cup in Blanca's hand. "Why'd ya throw water on me?" 

"It did work!" Nila cheered. 

"Great! Now let's hurry up and get out of here. Seren will just have to try and shape shift back on the way." Blanca put the cup down.

"Wait, where are we going?" Seren got up and started following them out the room. 

Blanca closed the door. "We're going to the aquarium to get the tortoise."

"Cool! But how are we getting there? We don't even know where it is, right?"

"We'll just ask the person at the desk." said Nila.

The four went downstairs. The lobby was now empty, apart from the workers there. 

Nila went up to ask the lady how to get to the aquarium, at the same time hoping that she wouldn't get too suspicious. "My sister's and I are planning to go tomorrow." was what she said to the lady at one point.

The lady gave her the directions and she walked back to them. "Good news. All we have to do is take one bus down. It drops you off about two blocks away."

"I don't have bus fare" said Seren.

"Then I'll just pay your way." then she looked at the other two. "Ready?"

"Ready." and Blanca nodded back.

.........  
............  
.............  
..........

The four stopped and sat down on the bench. "Alright, Seren. Now that we're waiting for the bus. You should try and shape shift back." said Blanca.

"Ah. Right. Let's see.. hmmm." she closed her eyes. "I just have to.. feeeeeeeel it." she blew out a breath. "And relaaaaaaaaax." Nothing.. "Is it.. is it working?"

"No." 

"Hm. Must focus. Haaaarderrrr." 

Headlights appeared just beyond the top of the street. Seren was still focused, trying to shape shift.

"Seren, the bus is coming already. You'll have to try later." said Blanca.

"Aw. I felt like I was about to get somewhere that time."

The bus pulled up and they got on and Seren hopped on. They each payed their fair, Nils paying for two and Seren ran towards the back of the bus. They followed behind and everyone sat down except for Blanca, not wanting to sit down on the transit bus seats.

The bus pulled off and Seren started playing with Nila's hands.

"Oh boy.. She's starting back up already." said Xanthe.

Nila ran her hands across the seat and Seren tried to get it and Nila kept pulling her hand back. "Well at least she's not hissing at anyone yet." said Nila giggling. She continued to run her hand across the seat.

"Nila, I wouldn't do that if I were you." said Blanca, leaning on one of the chairs on the side of her.

"I'm just trying to keep her distracted." she giggled.

Seren pounced on her hand and bit her finger and Nila winced, pulling her hand back.

"Told you."

"Blanca, it's fine. I just wasn't fast enough that time " Nila put her hand back, and started tapping her fingers along the seat, dragging her hand back and forth. Seren's head went left and right, left and right, watching the hand. 

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

A few minutes of playing and Nila was getting tired. She placed her hand back in her lap, but Seren was still in full play mode. She nipped at her arm. "No, Seren. No more playing."

Seren nipped at her arm again. "Ouch, Seren. I said no more playing." Nila moved down a seat and Seren jumped on the seat she was on, going for her hand and successfully grabbing it in her mouth. She bit down on her hand, _hard._

"Aahh..oooo.. ouch. Ouch. OUCH, SEREN! OOOUCH!" she pulled her hand from her mouth.

Everyone on the bus looked back. 

"Seren!" she frowned. "That really hurt." 

"Nila, pipe down." said Xanthe. "People are looking."

She looked at her then down the bus at the onlookers. She looked back at Xanthe. "Seren.. Seren, bit me."

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing." Xanthe snorted.

Nila turned back to Seren. "And that really hurt, Seren. And it's still.. hurting." she rubbed her hand.

"I tooooold you Nila. You overstimulated her. And she continued to play."

Seren ran up and down the seats, running up and over Nila's lap and back. She didn't laugh that time, keeping still as not to draw anymore attention to herself.

"This.. is going to be a looong bus ride." said Xanthe.


	10. Chapter ten

Three hours later and the bus was pulling up to their stop. The three of them _with a now sleeping Seren in a floating bubble, the three having no choice but to bubble her again, much to Nila's dismay.._ got off the bus. 

"Okay, now we just have two more blocks to go. The lady said to make a right at Beach City Boulevards." said Nila.

"Wait, hold on a sec." Xanthe opened her bag and pulled out four black shirts, four homemade ski masks and four pairs of gloves. "Xanthe, what are these?!" Blanca asked.

"Camafloug, Blanca." was all she said as she handed the black sweater, the mask and the pair of gloves to her. "Did you.. did make these?" Blanca said holding up the ski mask.

"Yes. I had to think of something and I have a lot of black shirts. Thankfully I only had to cut up two to make our masks.

"..You know we could've just shape shifted, right?

"Yes, but what fun would that have been?" 

"Fun?! You see this as a game?!"

"No, I see this as another stealth mission. And yes, I do find them quite fun, actually."

"Let's just put them on, Blanca." said Nila. She slipped on the mask and put the sweater on, then the pair of gloves.

Blanca shook her head and set the bubble down to put the camafloug on and Xanthe did the same.

"And it doesn't even fit." said Blanca.

I know. Those are _my_ sweaters. You have a few inches on me, Blanca."

Blanca shrunk down a few inches for the sweater to fit.

"Okay." Xanthe nodded at her. "Alright, now it's Seren's turn." they all looked at Xanthe.

"But Seren is already a cat." said Nila.

"Nekomimi" Blanca corrected.

"A nekomimi that's with us." said Xanthe. "She needs proper camo as well. Also, if she _does_ shape shift back, then she'll already be in attire."

"Okay, well that makes sense." said Blanca. "So who's the gal to put the clothes on her?" she looked at Nila.

"Oh no." she backed up. "I've already been bitten by her. Twice. I'm staying away."

"Fiiiine. I'll do it." said Xanthe. She rolled the sleeves of the sweater up and held the sweater open. "Someone, pop the bubble." Blanca popped it and Seren woke up. Blanca grabbed her before she could move and Xanthe quickly threw the sweater on her. She managed to put one paw in, but the other arm was stuck in the sweater, her claw having snagged the fabric. "Oh, come on, Seren! Let go!"

Seren squirmed in Blanca's hand and started hissing and biting at Xanthe's hands. "Just. Put the other arm in." Xanthe tugged at the sleeve and her nail finally unsnagged from the sweater. "And now. For the mask." Xanthe took the mask and quickly threw it over Seren's head. 

She tried shaking the mask off, yowling.

"I should've put the gloves in first.." said Xanthe. She quickly put the gloves in Seren's front paws.

Blanca held on as she stood back up. "Okay, now let's go." she said, trying to hold a squirming Seren in her arms.

They quickly made their way down the street.

Two blocks down and they were already approaching the building. "We're finally here." said Nila smiling. "We're coming to save you, buddy."

"Okay, everyone. Time for stealth mode." Xanthe whispered. She jumped up and climbed over the wall, letting go and rolling to a crouch. Nila and Blanca just walked around the wall, through the huge opening.

Xanthe put her hand up and looked around. "Okay, close is clear." she ran for the front door and ducked down underneath of the glass. She peered into the window. The lobby was empty. "Okay, great! Nobody's at the desk. Now all we have to do is somehow.. get in." she pulled the handle of the door and the door opened. "Wow. How convenient that someone _actually_ left the door open." She walked in. "Maybe I should inform their boss of their incompetence." she joked.

The three of them hid by a ticket booth. Blanca having bubbled Seren again during the walk to the aquarium. During their walk, Seren had also managed to pull the ski mask of her face and one glove off, but they decided to just leave them off for now.

"Okay, Nila. The sentry's not at his post. Now's our chance. You lead. You know where the tortoise exhibit is." said Xanthe.

Nila took lead, heading down the main hallway. They cautiously made their way pass one of the late night employees who was feeding a shark. "Nope! Too slow." he dangled the piece of meet in the air, then he lowered it back down towards the tank. The shark swam up again, leaping out. He leaned back, pulling the meat back along with him. "Aah, too slow again!"

.......

"It's this gate." said Nila. She pulled on the chains, breaking it and the three ran in. "There he is!" The tortoise was standing by one of the tree stumps.

"Wow, they really did a number on his shell." said Xanthe.

Nila massaged his shell. "I know.. it's horrible." she summoned the water, filtering out the weeds from the water and rubbing it gently on his back. She picked up one of the leaves on the ground and scrub the graffiti off his shell. "Don't worry, buddy. We're busting you out."

"Alright, let's hurry up and get out of here." Xanthe walked towards the front of the tortoise.

"Be careful. Don't get too close to his mouth." said Nila.

"I got this Nila." she bent down to pick up the tortoise. "OW! MY HAND!" she raised her arm up, the sleeve hanging down."

"Xanthe!"

She cackled, pulling down her sleeve to reveal her hand.

Nila glared at her and raised her arm. A slim hill of water raised up and forward, smacking Xanthe in the back of her neck. 

"Yuck.. Dirty tortoise water, Nila?!" she wiped at her neck.

"Okay, come on you two. We can't waste any more time."

An announcement from the old speaker came on right as Xanthe and Nila picked up the tortoise. "Lockjaw is a rare, endangered Galapagos tortoise. He weighs over 900 pounds."

"Doesn't feel like it." said Xanthe.

"That's because I'm helping you." Nila teased.

"Nila, I could eaaaasily carry him without your help."

Blanca ran out the gate first. She looked around. "Okay, close is clear." the other two ran behind her.

They ran down the hall, passing the employee again. "Come on, big shark. Come on, jaws. Try to get the fish." he continued to taunt the shark.

They ran all the way down to the lobby and ducked down by the desk. Seren was moving around in the bubble again, afraid of the tortoise that was directly by her. "Seren, keep still." said Blanca. 

"Okay, close is clear everyone." said Xanthe.

Seren jerked around in the bubble, hissing at the tortoise. She spooked him, the tortoise flailing his limps. "Lockjaw, there's no need to get all jumpy." Xanthe tried to hold the tortoise down, but with her arms around her back, it was difficult to. The tortoise hit the lobby, knocking something over on the table. "Hey! Who's there!" a voice shouted. A light was shown across the room. "Hey!" They heard the footsteps coming closer. And closer.

"Plan Z. Let's just book it! Try to keep up, Nila." Xanthe got up and Nila wobbled to her feet before running towards the main door with Xanthe. Blanca was already a few get in front of them. "We have a cold green 101!" the officer yelled into the walkie talkie.

"Xanthe, you're going to fast." Nila let go and the tortoise fell down on Xanthe's back, making her lose her balance. She fell on her knees, barely catching herself. She turned back around and Nila caught up to her.

"I won't be able to keep up with you two." said Nila.

Sirens were heard in the background. 

"Nila just hop on my back." Nila hopped on and the two ran down the street, going the bus route. Police cars sounded nearer to them.

"I think they're gaining on us." said Nila.

"Not on my watch." Xanthe picked up the speed and Blanca kept up. The bubble wobbled and trembled and she held it closer to her. Seren looked terrified, not knowing what was going on. 

A police car drove out in front of them and they stopped as two policeman jumped out the car. "Hands up, now!" Nila put her hands up.

"You three are under arrest!"

"Not again!" Nila shouted.

"Nila." Blanca whispered to her. "That's not going to happen." she summoned a white bubble around them. "Now let's run." she ran and Xanthe followed her. "But we're going right towards them! How are we going to-" Air pushed up on the bubble and they flew over the cop car. One of the policemen said something into his walkie talkie.

They landed back down and hit the ground running, literally. The two running down the street in the protective bubble.

"If we keep up this pace, we may reach the beach in at least a half an hour." said Nila.

More sirens filled the air and they could see the red and blue lights through the trees. "Looks like they called in back up." said Xanthe casually. "We can easily lose them."

They gems continued their escape down streets and sidewalks, police cars and paddy wagons were scattered throughout the area, getting ready to block them at all points.

"We're surrounded." said Nila. Police cars were on both sides of them on the next streets and three cars were following them in hot pursuit.

They continued their run, turning off the road into a wooded area. The police cars followed them and with every turn, the police cars were right on them.. Until they reached a water fall. 

And without hesitation. "We're going to keep going." said Blanca. They looked back once more. Two policemen had gotten out. "Here we go." said Xanthe.The two took their steps, the bubble rolling from the ground and into the water. Nila fanned her hand up, pushing the water against the bubble, for more speed. They reached the top and was pulled down with the waterfall. 

Water rushed up, covering the bubble and Nila fanned the water away for them to see. "I see the cliffside. We're almost at the beach." said Nila.

"Good." said Blanca. "Now we'll just have to.." she trailed off looking at the blue and red lights reflecting off the water. The white from the moon mixed in and she could see a bit of yellow from the flowers along the banks. 

"Blanca..?" Xanthe looked her. 

_"We'll end gem kind on the Earth once and for all." she told the two figures beside her. They raised their hands up and she raised hers up. The three of their hands pointing towards Earth.. it had been the cause of something.. the shattering of someone.. the end of something.. the stop of something.. production? And the end of.. something else.. They had to destroy the planet of what it had._

"Blanca! Oh no, not at this time!" Nila waved her hand in front of Blanca's glowing eyes. "

"And her eyes are glowing!" Xanthe tried to keep her distance, but with them in the bubble, she could only go but so far.

"Maybe I can try to snap her out of it." Nila shook Blanca's shoulders. 

"It doesn't like look like that's working." said Xanthe.

The bubble that Seren was in popped and the girl fell at the bottom of the bubble. She was scared, frozen.

_The two figures lifted up their hands and she did the same.. Then they summoned their power, their aura forming around their hand and arm._

Blanca's eyes narrowed at something that only she could see.

Nila hissed in pain and Xanthe looked to see one of Blanca's arm on down glowing. "Nila, her arm." Xanthe carefully set the turtle down and grabbed a hold of Nila, trying to pull her away from Blanca's hands.

Seren went for the tortoise, sitting and swatting at it. "Seren, no!" Xanthe pulled Nila harder and she slipped out of her hands.

"Are you okay?"

Nila got up, her clothes had burn holes in them. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Xanthe swiped up Seren and the bubble began to glow around them as Blanca brought one of her hands up in front of her.

"What is she doing?" Nila stepped close to Xanthe. The bubble underneath of them heated up and the tortoise made a noise of hurt. Xanthe gave a squirming and hissing Seren to Nila and she quickly picked him up. 

"I don't know what's going on. She's usually over it by now."

_Their power continued to blast toward the Earth._

The bubble popped and the four of them was pushed against the current. Seren hissed, then instantly snapped out of it.

"AH! What's going on! Why are we in the water?!" Seren choked out.

Blanca sunk down, letting the current push her down. Nila pushed the current to push Blanca back up to the surface. Her eyes still glowing. "What's wrong with her?! What happened?!" Seren panicked.

"We don't know!" Nila pushed the water, keeping all four of them close as the water pushed them further down. 

The sirens were getting closer.

"Are we being chased by the police?!" Nobody answered her.

Blanca pointed her hand towards Nila and let out a white light. "Nila, watch out!" Xanthe warned her. She let go of the tortoise and swam towards her. "No!" Nila pushed the water away from her, pushing both Xanthe and Seren back and out of the way as the power beamed right into her. 

"Nila!" Seren and Xanthe tried to swim towards her, but Nila continued to push the current away from her until suddenly, she couldn't. She lost her power and the current pushed all four of them down.

Blanca sunk back down, her hands not glowing anymore and her eyes closed.

Xanthe and the tortoise went one way down a bend while Nila and Seren went another way. Blanca continued down another path.

Xanthe swam towards the tortoise, grabbing ahold of it as the water rushed down, pushing them underneath.


	11. Chapter eleven

............

Chi was sitting down on a small dock, sitting patiently with the fishing rod in her hand. Suddenly, the rod bobbed in the water. "あれ？あっ、すごい！あたしは当たり！ワウ！これは本当に大きな魚ものになると思います！(Are? A~tsu, sugoi! Atashi wa atari! Wau! Kore wa hontōni ōkina sakana mono ni naru to omoimasu. Huh? Oh! Awesome! I have a bite! Wow, I think this'll be a really big one!) she grunted, trying to pull the fishing rod as she reeled it in. She tried to get up, but the pull on the other side was too strong. There was a huge tug on the other end and Chi was pulled into the water. Xanthe swam up to the surface with the tortoise and Chi swam up gasping for air. "おい！一体-! Xanthe?" (Oi! Ittai-! Xanthe? Hey! What in the world/ Who in the world!-! Xanthe?") The gem swam towards the dock, walking back on land. "Can't talk right now, Chi. I gotta find the others." 

"Wait, what happened?! Is that.. is that the tortoise from the aquarium?!" she swam out the water.

Xanthe didn't answer her, running up to her bike on the hill. She got on it, one hand holding the tortoise up on her back. "Hey! What are you doing!" 

"I'm borrowing this." she clicked back the kickstand, turned the bike around and peddled off.

Chi ran up. "Hey, wait! That's my bike!" she whined.

"I'll bring it back some day!" Xanthe shouted back.

"Oh! You!" Chi put folded her arms.

Xanthe was following the current, looking for any signs of any of her sisters. She followed the current for another few minutes until she saw a blue dot in the water. "That has to be her." she said to herself. The water wrapped around a bin and the blue dot vanished within the trees. Xanthe could see the blue and red lights from the police cars between the trees.

.....

Nila snapped open awake. She could sense the water once more and she carefully twisted the current to push her to the edge of the water. She wobbled out and got up slowly to her feet. She looked at her hands and clothes. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the burn holes that was already there. She looked back at the rushing water. Nobody was there. She turned back and just as she was about to make her sluggish jog away from the water, seven police cars and three fusions with wings drove and flew towards her. Five guys hopped out of the car with destabilizers.

"Now we have you surrounded. Hands up!" one of them shouted. Nila glared at them, slowly putting her hands up.

"Now. Where are the others!" he asked her.

Nila didn't say anything else. She was tired of running. In her mind, what she was doing was right. She wanted to undo the wrong she did with the zoomen. She wanted to help at least one living thing. Even if it was a sea creature and not a human.. Though to her, it wasn't "just" a sea creature. And besides, what the people in the aquarium were doing was wrong. Her trying to undo her wrongs or not. She would've done this regardless.

"I said. Where. Are. The others!"

She honestly didn't know. And that made her even more upset. She just stood there, glaring at them.

One guy gave a head nod towards her and they started to approach her. 

....

Seren had caught a hold of a tree branch and was now pulling herself towards land. She quickly jumped into the wet dirt and looked around. Police lights and sirens to her left. Wondering if any of her sisters had been caught, she ran towards the lights.

She approached a cluster of trees, the bright lights peering just beyond them. She walked through the thick foliage and saw Nila in front of the cops, standing with arms up. _Oh no! Nila!_ She was about to run out, when she saw something crawl towards a bush and her cat instincts made her stop and wait. She could feel herself getting to prowl mode. She tiptoed towards the bush.

"Do you know who I am!" Seren heard Nila shout and she stopped. "I am someone with my own moral beliefs! Something that the aquarium didn't understand! And I am destined to bring justice to the tortoise!"

The policemen turned on their destabilizers on high. Nila stood her ground.

_No! I have to save Nila! ..But.._ Seren turned her head back to the bush.. _I must get whatever ran into this bush._ She took a few steps then stopped. Conflicted. 

"I can't be defeated by the likes of you! I am going to defeat you all! You hear me!" Nila summoned a wall of water behind her and the three fusions summoned their weapons. Two summoned a sword and the other summoned a spear.

_No! I.. can't let this happen.. I have to help some way. I just. I just need to summon my shield so I can protect her. But I'm still a cat! Come on Seren.. shape shift back. You have to save Nila.. _ Seren looked back at the bush for a few seconds before shaking her head. _I need to focus!_ Seren took one deep breath and concentrated on going back to who she was, both physically and mentally. Her hair, her eyes, the rest of her face and body..her emotions. She cared for everyone. She just wants to save everyone. She wants to save Nila. With her shield.. And she wants to save Garnet and Pearl.. with her shield. "What?" Seren snapped her eyes open. _Who?_ She saw a flash of light from her. A pink flash engulfed her and then it disappeared, revealing her initial form._ Then a flash of white light was behind her. She looked back to see her shield. The same shield that was different than the one she'd summoned on her first day of school. The same shield she kept thinking about. Worrying about it on why it was different than the sword she'd summoned. It was huge, towering over her. There were two other figures standing on each side of her and by instinct, she grabbed both of them, holding them close to her as the light approached them._

......

~~~A few minutes earlier~~~

Blanca felt herself being pulled under the current. Did she just hurt someone? In her memory she was with two other figures as they zapped the Earth. She couldn't remember what happened during the memory.. but she tried to remember what happened directly after she came out of her trance. She remembered using her power.. in her memory.. but it felt too real that time.. like she used it in real life.. Then a faint thought came to her mind of her using the power specifically on a certain part of Earth.. then the Earth turned into a figure..

Blanca gasped. The figure. She wasn't in her memory anymore. She was actually using it on someone.. In the mix of her coming out of her memory, she was still acting out as if she was still there..

Then she slowly started to remember the voices she heard. Xanthe.. and then Seren's.. And Nila. She was. She was shouting out at them. _No!_ she remembered Nila shouting out and then she heard Seren and Xanthe call out Nila's name. And then.. That's when the current came rushing down.

She. Attacked Nila...

And her fear finally happened.. She actually hurt someone close to her. It finally happened.. In a mix of coming out of her memory she actually acted out her power and..

"I knew it.. Nobody is safe from me.." she let the current take her further down until she opened her eyes to see the police lights reflecting above her.. Her sisters were still out there. And they could be hurt or captured by the police. Or both.. She had to find them.. Despite of what just happen, she couldn't sulk about it.. She just had to bottle up her emotions, right along with everything else she was bottling up and just act neutral.. In her mind, she had no other choice..

She swam up to the surface and looked around. She didn't see any of her sisters. She closed her eyes, focusing on any of their auras. She could see twenty different auras from the policemen that were trying to get them. And she could sense them right in front of Nila. Xanthe and Seren was not too far from her either.

She swam out the water and ran towards them, successfully putting her memories in the back of her mind, keeping her emotions to that of neutral feelings..

.............

Xanthe finally caught up to Nila. She dropped the bike by the water and put the tortoise on the ground. "You wait here." she told him and ran passed a hypnotic Seren and ran right towards the fight.

"Come and get me!" Xanthe heard Nila say to them. The fusions and the policemen rushed after her and she threw the water towards them. Together, the fusions pushed and pulled the water away from the group, manipulating the water to go to the side. Nila looked on in surprise. She summoned another hill of water just as one of the fusions threw her spear. She yelped, curving the water and turning it into ice, just as the spear cracked and dissipated into it. The fusion summoned another one. The guards held out their destabilizers and Nila still held her ground, despite of how afraid she was. _What could a destabilizer do to her?_

"Nila!" Xanthe ran in between them. "Xanthe?" Nila turned around. Xanthe couldn't dare. WOULDN'T dare let anyone harm Nila. Or ANY of her sisters. She was going to protector her.

Xanthe felt hot as she felt a surge of electricity course throughout her body. A new charged feeling she felt through her.. A higher charge of electricity.

"What is she doing?!" Blanca saw sparks of electricity all around Xanthe. The first time she'd ever seen anything like it.. And with all of that built up electricity, it definitely wasn't going to end well. She had to protect her sisters and the tortoise. She raised her hands, and white bubbles formed around the three.

Xanthe unleashed the energy, meaning to only fire it at them, but that didn't happen. Electricity blazed out throughout her whole body and zapped the whole area around her. And she couldn't stop the rush of all the energy coming out of her. She tried to channel the electricity up in the air. A few sparks zapped up, but the electric current still zapped around the area. 

Then finally, after some time, the energy stopped flowing and she fell to her knees. She looked around. Every vehicle was damaged and in flames. The trees around them were snapped and scorched and some of them crackled with amber around them. And every one was poofed. _Wait.. but if they were poofed.._"Nila! Seren!" she looked at one then the other. White bubbles were around them. Xanthe sighed a breath of relief. 

The bubbles dissipated as Blanca came up close to them from the side of the trees. "Blanca! You're back!" said Xanthe.She felt another wave of relief wash over her.

"Yeah.." was all Blanca said.

"Woweee, Xanthe! That HAD to be a new power!" Seren ran up to her. 

"A power that she had no control over." said Blanca. Then she turned to Xanthe. "You seriously could've hurt them."

Xanthe looked away. "It wasn't like I was trying to." she mumbled.

"Xanthe, you have to realize that electricity and fire are wild. You have to learn how to properly control them. Or else they could get out of hand." she looked at the burning trees and she summoned a wave out of the water to put them out.

"I was just trying to help Nila! That wasn't in my mind!" 

"Calm down, Xanthe. I know, I just.." she took a breath. "Just try to be careful next time.. If anybody else were to hurt her or Seren." she was caught of guard hearing her name. "You have to know how to properly use your powers... to protect them." _Out of all four of us, _ someone_ has to know how to properly use their powers._ She wanted to say that to her, but she wanted to spare the feelings of the other two. But Xanthe seemed like the one that both had a lot of power as well as being the most stable one of the three.. But she didn't want to seem like she was comparing them.. Actually, she had to stop comparing and judging a lot of people..

She walked away.

"You didn't include yourself, Blanca." Nila whispered.

"I know." and with that, she walked away from the group towards a white bubble harboring the tortoise.

The three exchanged uneasy glances before following her.

She unsummoned the bubble. The tortoise was unharmed. He looked up at them.

"Glad to see he's okay." said Nila.

Xanthe looked over at the bike just a few feet away. "And glad to see that the bike is okay too." she half joked. She picked up the tortoise in her arms.

"What do you mean?" Seren asked.

"I figured that the bike would've gotten fried by the lightning. And Chi would've ended up chasing after me with it."

"Chasing after you with an electric fried bike?" Nila giggled.

Seren gasped. "I knew that bike looked familiar!"

"How did you even get the bike?" Nila asked.

"I burrowed it." 

"Of course you did." 

"Well, now it's time to _un_borrow it." said Blanca. 

A weakened tree snapped and fell on the bike, bending the frame and the back tire and crushing the peddles and the handlebars.

"Don't worry. I can fix that." said Xanthe.

Then an alligator darted out of the water and grabbed a hold of the front of the bike, snapping it off and taking it back in the water with it.

"......Now _that_ may be a problem." said Xanthe.

"Oh no! Chi's bike!" Seren ran up to it.

"I hope she doesn't mind riding a unicycle." said Blanca.

"Oh man!" Seren continued. "Now she's stranded without her bike!"

"Seren, she was already stranded, when Xanthe _took_ her bike." said Blanca.

"Look, since we're closer by the beach, we'll just drop the tortoise off then go and get her." said Xanthe.

"I like that plan." Nila spoke up. She pet the tortoise on the head.

"Okayyy, ladies. Onwards!" Seren pointed down a path in front of her.

"The beach is the other way, Seren." said Xanthe.

"Oh." she turned around and pointed. "Onwards!"

...........

The four of them made it to the beach in less than twenty minutes. They walked out and stopped when the water was at waist level _or more or less, with the water reaching pass Seren's waist and below Blanca's._

"Do you think he knows the way to the ocean?" Seren asked.

"Why sure. It's instinct." said Nila. She gave his shell a few rubs before stepping back.

"Cool." said Seren. "Run! Be free! Go live and love again!"

The tortoise swam away just a few yards out, before looking back at them.

"I think he's thanking you, Nila." said Xanthe.

"You really think so?"

"Of course." she held her head up. I'm _always_ right."

Nila gave her a playful push on her shoulder.

"Alright, alright ladies. Looks like our job here is done. Time to go get Chi." said Blanca. She started to walk back to the shore.

"I don't know, Blanca. I kinda want to go to that restaurant we passed by earlier. All this exercise gives me a hankering for some turtle soup." Xanthe teased.

Nila raised her hand and a large water hand raised up in front of Xanthe and pushed her back into the water.

She resurfaced, glaring at Nila. "You just think you're _all_ that because you can twist a bit of water around." she mumbled, swimming pass her. "You better be glad that I'm letting you slide this time." 

Nila laughed. "Indeed I am glad." 

Then Seren swam pass her, cutting into the conversation. "And I'm just glad that the tortoise is back where he belongs and that Nila isn't sad anymore!" she cheered. 

"And _I'm_ glad that you're YOU again!" she tickled Seren and she had to swim further away to get away from her.

"Yeah." she laughed. "I'm glad that I'm me too. Could you imagine what would've happened if I didn't shape shift back?! That would've been a total cat-tastrophe."

"Hardy, har, har." said Blanca. Xanthe stepped out of the water and Nila whisked it away. Xanthe gave her a thumbs up.

"But I'm feeling much better _meow-"_ said Seren still swimming around in the water.

"Uhhhhg." Xanthe groaned.

"Eh?" Seren swam up to the shore. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Okay, that's enough." said Xanthe. She started walking away.

"Wait! I've been coming up with cat jokes all morning!" Blanca and Nila followed Xanthe up the sandy path.

"You guys! I'm _feline_ fine! Everything's purr-fect!" she ran out the water to catch up with them. "Oh, come on. I'm just _kitten_ around." she joked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the episode and the homage to Pokemon in the last chapter :)
> 
> Also, go head, Xanthe! Two new powers in one day! Woohoo!!
> 
> Welp, stay tuned for episode seven! :D
> 
> Paying homage to:  
Steven Universe season 1 episode 7: Bubble buddies  
Hey Arnold season 1 episode 2b: Arnold's hat  
Spongebob Squarepants: Bubble Buddy season 1 episode 23b
> 
> Episode 7: Seren saves a boy who has a crush on Nila ; Nila loses her favorite bracelet and is absolutely devastated.


End file.
